Role of the acetabular labrum on articular cartilage consolidation patterns

Damage to the acetabular labrum has been associated with cartilage degeneration. Because conventional pressure measurement devices were unable to examine the sealing function of the acetabular labrum on cartilage contact mechanics, we used an image-based computational method to examine how labrectomy affects articular cartilage contact area and strain patterns in porcine hips. Cyclically loaded hip samples were continuously imaged in a CT scanner every 3 min to trace the positions of the femur and acetabulum. Image-based displacement-controlled finite element analysis was used to calculate articular cartilage contact area and nominal strain at different time points. No changes in cartilage contact area were found after labrectomy. Compared to the labrum intact condition, average nominal strain in labrectomized hips was elevated at early time points after load application. The areas of 'high' strain in labrectomized hips were found to be increased by approximately 7% after 30 min of cyclic loading, while the changes in the areas of 'low' strain were minimal. Our result showed that changes in articular cartilage strain following labrectomy were concentrated on locally overloaded areas where the degenerative process of articular cartilage may be initiated.