This was recently posted as a comment under an older post.
Looks like Aetna has finally reconsidered their policy! Aetna posted this Clinical Policy Bulletin on 12/30/11 regarding
"Femoro-Acetabular Surgery for Hip Impingement Syndrome".
"Aetna considers femoro-acetabular surgery, open or arthroscopic, for the treatment of hip impingement syndrome medically necessary for persons who fulfil all the following criteria:
* Diagnosis of definite femoro-acetabular impingement defined by appropriate investigations, X-rays, MRI and CT scans.
* Severe symptoms typical of FAI and compromised function, with duration of at least six months where diagnosis of FAI has been made as above.
* Failure to respond to all available conservative treatment options including activity modification, pharmacological intervention and physiotherapy.
* Aged between 18 and 50 years (clinical experience has shown that these patients are likely to gain the greatest benefit).
* Absence of advanced osteoarthritis change on preoperative Xray (Tonnis grade 2 or more) or severe cartilage injury (Outerbridge grade III or IV).
* Absence of joint space narrowing on plain radiograph of the pelvis that is less than 2 mm wide anywhere along the sourcil.
* Member does not have generalised joint laxity especially in diseases connected with hypermobility of the joints, such as Marfan syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
* Member does not have osteogenesis imperfecta.
Surgery for FAI impingement is considered experimental and investigational for all other indications."