The Efficacy of Labral Reconstruction: A Systematic Review

With a greater understanding of the importance of the acetabular labrum in the function of the hip, labral repair is preferred over debridement. However, in some scenarios, preservation or repair of the labrum is not possible, and labral reconstruction procedures have been growing in popularity as an alternative to labral resection.

To provide an up-to-date analysis of the literature to determine the overall efficacy of labral reconstruction when compared with labral repair or resection.

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 3.

PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE databases were searched for literature regarding labral reconstruction in the hip before July 21, 2020. The results were screened and evaluated by 2 reviewers, and a third reviewer resolved any discrepancies. The final studies were evaluated using the MINORS (Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies) score.

There were 7 comparative studies that fit the inclusion criteria, with 228 hips from 197 patients. The mean follow-up was 34.6 months, and the mean age of all patients was 38.34 years. There were slightly more female patients than male patients (105 vs 92). Arthroscopic reconstruction was performed in 86% of studies (6/7); open surgical techniques, in 14% (1/7). A variety of grafts was used in the reconstructions. The indications for labral reconstruction and outcome measures varied in these publications. Nine patients were lost follow-up, and 6 patients converted to total hip replacement postlabral reconstruction. The assessment of these comparative studies illustrated statistically equivalent results between labral reconstruction and labral repair. Comparisons of labral reconstruction with labral resection also showed statistically equivalent postoperative patient-reported outcome scores; however, the rates of conversion to total hip arthroplasty were significantly higher in the population undergoing resection.

The review of current available comparative literature, which consists entirely of level 3 studies, suggests that labral reconstruction does improve postoperative outcomes but does not demonstrate superiority over repair. There may, however, be benefit to performing labral reconstruction over resection owing to the higher rate of conversion to total hip arthroplasty in the labral resection group.