Arthroscopic hip labral reconstruction with a gracilis autograft versus labral refixation: 2-year minimum outcomes.

Background: There is high interest but very little evidence to support labral reconstruction of the hip. Purpose/

Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical effectiveness of arthroscopic hip labral reconstruction using gracilis autograft in the multistep surgeries for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The hypothesis was that patients undergoing arthroscopic hip labral reconstruction with gracilis autograft would have improvement in symptoms and function attributable to this procedure.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: A comparative retrospective review at a large medical facility was performed of patients who underwent labral reconstruction with a gracilis autograft (RECON group) and those who underwent labral refixation (REFIX group) between October 2008 and November 2009. Inclusion criteria were adult patients having undergone arthroscopic surgery for symptomatic cam-pincer FAI without advanced radiographic osteoarthritis, who had both acetabular and femoral osteoplasties with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Patient satisfaction and preoperative and postoperative nonarthritic hip scores (NAHS) were obtained. Predictive modeling, linear regression, and a nested case-control study were performed.

Results: A total of 54 patients met the inclusion criteria. The RECON group (n = 8; mean age, 34.6 years; range, 18-58 years) with an average 30-month follow-up (range, 24-37 months) and 100% participation reported a high level of patient satisfaction (7 high, 1 moderate). The mean NAHS improved by 50.5 points (P = .008) in the RECON group and 22.5 points (P < .0001) in the REFIX group; however, the preoperative NAHS was lower (P < .05) in the RECON group than in the REFIX group. Only the surgery group (RECON vs REFIX) and the preoperative NAHS were significantly associated with the NAHS at follow-up. The predictive model and linear regression revealed a 15.0- and 14.6-point increase, respectively, in the postoperative NAHS in the RECON group compared with the REFIX group. There were no major complications, revision surgeries, or conversion arthroplasties after labral reconstruction.

Conclusion: Arthroscopic hip labral reconstruction with gracilis tendon autograft is a safe and effective procedure. Patients undergoing labral reconstruction may not necessarily have outcomes inferior to those of patients undergoing labral refixation despite more severe initial labral insufficiency.