Arthroscopic Study of Acetabular Labrum Resection for Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Changes in arthroscopic findings before and after acetabular labrum resection for osteoarthritis of the hip were studied. Acetabular labrum resection for osteoarthritis of the hip was performed on 27 hips in this study. Before acetabular labrum resection, detachment of the acetabular labrum was observed in 26 hips and inversion was observed in 1 hip. These labrums were always interposed between the femoral head and the acetabulum. Marked damage of the articular cartilage in 19 hips was seen in the area corresponding to the acetabular labrum. A second arthroscope (1-1.5 years later), demonstrated improvement of the articular cartilage in 11 hips, but, the degree of fibrillation and irregularity on the articular cartilage was increased in 6 hips. We conclude that the interposed acetabular labrum may be the cause of the cartilage damage and that acetabular labrum resection should be carried out in such cases.