IS LABRAL REPAIR NECESSARY? AN ASSESSMENT OF THE LONG-TERM RESULTS OF PARTIAL RESECTION OF THE ACETABULAR LABRUM OBSERVED AT REVISION HIP ARTHROSCOPY

R. Miller, A. Tzaveas, R. Villar
The Richard Villar Practice, Wellington Hospital, London, UK
Aim: To assess the outcome of partial resection of the labrum of the acetabulum, on the basis of arthroscopic images, in patients with recurrent symptoms from the hip joint who underwent a further arthroscopy.
Materials and methods: 22 patients were selected, who underwent revision hip arthroscopy because of a recurrence of symptoms. At the first arthroscopy all the patients had undergone partial resection of the labrum, as it was not repairable. The mean age of the patients was 36 years (18 to 55) and the mean time since the first arthroscopic procedure was 24 months (5 to 57). The arthroscopic images were analysed and compared with those of the first arthroscopy, the type and site of the tear were assessed, and the operative practices were studied.
Results: Healing of the labrum was observed in 13 patients, who showed residual acetabulofemoral friction. Nine patients showed further damage to the labrum, and four of them showed early osteoarthritic changes.
Conclusions: Although arthroscopic repair of a tear of the acetabular labrum has become popular in recent years, there are cases of tears in which repair is not feasible. The results of the study are encouraging, indicating that the role of simple partial resection of the labrum, in cases where repair is technically difficult or impossible, should not be underestimated.