Central Acetabular Impingement Is Associated With Femoral Head and Ligamentum Teres Damage: A Cross-Sectional Matched-Pair Analysis of Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy for Acetabular Labral Tears

Central Acetabular Impingement Is Associated With Femoral Head and Ligamentum Teres Damage: A Cross-Sectional Matched-Pair Analysis of Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy for Acetabular Labral Tears

Authors

Lodhia P, Gui C, Martin TJ, Chandrasekaran S, Suarez-Ahedo C, Domb BG
Journal: Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;34(1):135–143
DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2017.08.254

Background

Central acetabular osteophytes (CAOs) are commonly encountered during hip arthroscopy but their clinical significance remains uncertain.

Methods: In this matched-pair analysis, 126 patients with CAOs undergoing arthroscopy were compared to 378 matched controls without CAOs. Intraoperative findings, including cartilage damage and labral pathology, were recorded.

Key Findings

Patients with CAOs had a significantly higher prevalence and size of femoral head and acetabular cartilage damage, and a higher rate of ligamentum teres tears than controls. However, labral tear characteristics did not differ between groups.

Conclusions

The presence of CAOs is associated with more advanced intra-articular pathology, especially to the femoral head and ligamentum teres.

What Does This Mean for Patients

A central acetabular osteophyte may signal more severe hip joint damage, underscoring the need for timely surgical evaluation and potentially influencing surgical strategy.