Abstract
Introduction & Objective
Labral refixation has established as a standard in open or arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The rationale for this refixation is to maintain the important suction seal in the hip. To date, only few short-term results are available which indicate a superior result in FAI hips with labral refixation compared to labral resection. Scientific evidence of a beneficial effect of labral refixation in the long-term follow-up is lacking.
Aim of this study was to evaluate if labral refixation can improve the cumulative 10-year survivorship in hips undergoing surgical hip dislocation for FAI compared to labral resection.
Methods
We performed a retrospective comparative study of 59 patients treated with surgical hip dislocation for symptomatic FAI between December 1998 and January 2003. We analyzed two matched groups: The ‘resection’ group consisted of 25 hips that were treated consistently by excision of the damaged labrum. The ‘refixation’ group consisted of 34 hips that were treated with labral reattachment. Correction of the osseous deformity (rim trimming/femoral osteochondroplasty) did not differ between the two groups. We then evaluated the clinical (Merle d'Aubigné score) and radiographical results (according to Tönnis) at a follow-up of ten years.
We calculated a cumulative Kaplan-Meier survivorship curve with the following factors as endpoints: conversion to total hip arthroplasty (THA), radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis progression, or a poor clinical result (defined as Merle d'Aubigné score of less than 15). The two curves were compared using the Log-rank test.
Results
Hips with labral refixation had a significantly higher survivorship (78%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 64–92%) at ten years compared to labral resection (46%, 95% CI 26–66, p=0.008). 7 (20.6%) patients in the refixation group reached an endpoint: 2 with THA; 5 with a poor clinical result, and 5 with progression of OA. 15 (60.0%) patients in the resection group reached an endpoint: 3 with THA; 12 with a poor clinical result, and 4 with progression of OA.
Conclusion
This is the first study proving that labral refixation leads to significantly better results in patients 10 years after open surgical hip dislocation for FAI. It seems advisable to preserve the labrum in this patient population whenever possible.
