Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Hip Labral Repair or...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Radiology
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Labral tears are common hip injuries.
• Assessing preoperative tissue quality is crucial for predicting surgical outcomes.
• T2 mapping is a non-invasive MRI technique to evaluate cartilage and labral integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between preoperative T2 mapping values and patient-reported outcomes (iHOT-12) after hip arthroscopy for labral tears.
• To determine if T2 mapping can serve as a prognostic tool in hip preservation surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 29 patients (14-50 years) undergoing hip arthroscopy for labral tears (repair or reconstruction).
• Preoperative MRI T2 values of femoral, acetabular, and labral tissue were assessed by blinded reviewers.
• International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12) scores were collected preoperatively and up to 24 months postoperatively.
• Univariate mixed linear models analyzed associations between T2 values and iHOT-12 scores.

Main Results:

• Higher preoperative T2 values correlated with higher iHOT-12 scores at baseline and early postoperative periods (p < 0.05).
• Lower preoperative T2 values were associated with better 12- and 24-month iHOT-12 scores across all evaluated structures (p < 0.001).
• These time-dependent correlations were consistent within both labral repair and reconstruction subgroups.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative T2 mapping demonstrates time-dependent correlations with patient-reported outcomes following hip arthroscopy.
• Worse cartilage or labral tissue quality, as indicated by elevated T2 values, predicts poorer long-term functional outcomes.
• T2 mapping is a valuable preoperative tool for prognostication in hip preservation surgery.