FP4.7 Full-Thickness Tears of the Ligamentum Teres Portend Inferior Mid-Term Functional Outcomes Following Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement

Abstract

Abstract ICLA04 - The Labral Repair Blueprint: Mastering Anchorage, Suture Loops, and Everyday Success, Auditorium B (BMCC Level 1), October 8, 2026, 10:30 - 12:30 Purpose To determine the impact of ligamentum teres (LT) tears on the mid-term outcomes of patients who underwent primary hip arthroscopy as a treatment for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Methods Prospectively collected data was analyzed for patients who underwent primary hip arthroscopy for FAI between 2008 and 2020. Patients were included if they had completed pre- and minimum 5-year post-operative questionnaires for the following patient-reported outcomes (PROs): Modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS), International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12), Hip Outcome Score-Sport Scale (HOS-SSS), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Patients were divided into the LT tear group and patients with no LT tears in the control group. Included hips were propensity matched based on age at surgery, sex, body mass index, labral treatment, LCEA and follow-up time. A sub-analysis compared outcomes between hips with full-thickness LT tears to control and partial tear hips. Results A total of 606 hips were included in the study, with 303 hips in each group. The groups had similar preoperative scores, delta of improvements and final postoperative scores for mHHS, NAHS, iHOT-12, HOS-SSS, and VAS, met clinically relevant thresholds at similar rates, with similar secondary surgeries rates. There were similar rates of meeting clinically meaningful thresholds and arthroplasty free survivorship between the LT and control groups (95.4% vs. 95.7%; p=0.87). In the sub-analysis, patients with complete LT tears reached significantly lower functional outcomes, specifically for HOS-SSS and NAHS (p<0.05). Conclusion Patients with FAI and LT tears who underwent hip arthroscopy demonstrated significant functional improvements and high rates of arthroplasty free survivorship, comparable to a control group without LT tears. Hips with full-thickness LT tears achieved significantly lower functional outcomes at a minimum of 5-year follow-up. Further research is warranted on the role of LT reconstruction for hips with full-thickness tears.