Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of arthroscopy for synovial chondromatosis of hip joint. Methods Between April 2012 and September 2015, 32 patients with synovial chondromatosis of hip joint were treated by arthroscopy. There were 19 males and 13 females, with an average age of 42.1 years (range, 22-64 years). The synovial chondromatosis located at right hip in 15 cases and left hip in 17 cases. The main clinical symptoms were pain and swelling of hip joint. Of all patients, 6 cases were hip hinge, 2 cases were lower limb weakness, and 1 case was snapping hip. The " 4” sign was positive in 9 cases, Thomas’ sign positive in 4 cases, and rolling test positive in 2 cases. Results All incisions healed by first intention, and no complication occurred. All patients were followed up 16-48 months (mean, 33.8 months). The visual analogue scale (VAS) was 1.4±0.8 at last follow-up, which was significantly lower than that before operation (4.8±1.2) (t=6.382, P=0.013). The hip Harris score was 92.6±6.7 at last follow-up, which was significantly higher than that before operation (63.2±8.3) (t=9.761, P=0.006). At last follow-up, the " 4” sign and Thomas’ sign were positive in 3 cases and 1 case, respectively. The others had no positive sign. X-ray film showed no recrudescence in all cases. Conclusion Treating synovial chondromatosis of hip joint under arthroscopy has advantages of less trauma, complete debridement, quick postoperative recovery, and the satisfactory short-term effectiveness.