Acetabular Labral Tears: Debridement, Repair, Reconstruction

The evolution of diagnoses, treatment, and management of femoroacetabular impingement is certainly one of the most exciting topics currently in orthopedic surgery. There has been an influx of knowledge in this area, mainly in the past decade. One of the most important steps was the recognition of the labrum as an integral structure in the maintenance of normal hip joint biomechanics. Several anatomical and biomechanical studies have discussed the neurovascular structure of the labrum, as well as its role in providing a suction seal in the hip joint. Resection of the labrum has shown inferior patient-reported outcomes when compared to labral repair. This has led to labral repair being the preferred treatment when possible. Labral reconstruction is recommended when inadequate labral tissue is available, with the goal of restoring, at least in part, the natural biomechanical environment of the hip. In this chapter, we will describe our treatment algorithm used for labral tears associated with femoroacetabular impingement.