Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Irreparable Acetabular Labrum: A Match-Controlled Study with Minimum Two-Year Follow-Up

Purpose: To report clinical outcomes of arthroscopic labral reconstruction in the hip at minimum two-year follow-up in comparison to a pair-matched labral repair group.

Methods: Patients were included in this study if underwent labral reconstruction during hip arthroscopy and had minimum two-year follow-up data available. Exclusion criteria were active workers’ compensation claims or previous ipsilateral hip surgery or conditions. Reconstruction patients were matched 1:2 to patients that underwent arthroscopic labral repair but otherwise met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. Matching criteria were age within five years, sex, body mass index (BMI) within five, same capsular treatment, and whether there was chondral damage of Outerbridge grade II or greater. Three patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were recorded preoperatively and at a minimum of two years postoperatively. International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12) and patient satisfaction were also collected at latest follow-up.

Results: 34 reconstruction patients were matched to 68 repair patients. There were no significant differences in demographics between groups. Both the reconstruction and repair groups saw statistically significant increases in all PRO measures and decreased VAS at minimum two-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in rates of postoperative complications, secondary arthroscopy, or conversion to THA between groups.

Conclusion: Arthroscopic labral reconstruction is a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of irreparable segmental deficiencies of the labrum. It is associated with significant improvement in PROs and a low incidence of secondary surgery within two-year follow-up. Improvements in PROs, VAS, patient satisfaction, and incidence of secondary procedures were comparable to a match control treated with labral repair. However, longer-term follow-up is needed to determine if these results persist.