Refixation of the Excised Acetabular Labrum can Affect the Structural Changes of Cartilage Surface in the Hip Joint

Abstract

Refixation of the damaged acetabular labrum is a method of surgical treatment of the hip joint that can promote the repair of joint function after injury and prevent premature osteoarthritis. We sought to determine the condition of the hip joint in rabbits 4 months after excision of the acetabular labrum and the condition of the joint after labral refixation. The articular cartilage of the femoral head and acetabulum was examined by histological methods, multipoint measurement of cartilage thickness, and the ratio between cartilage matrix and chondrocytes lacunae, and the condition of cartilage according to the OARSI grading scale was carried out. On this model, a correlation analysis was performed between the results of the OARSI grading scale and the data of linear morphometry. All these parameters made it possible to better assess changes in articular cartilage. The ratio between matrix and chondrocyte lacunae turned out to be a method that allows establishing early cartilage damage when erosion, fibrosis or deformation did not occur. We found significant differences between the condition of the cartilage after exicion of acetabular labrum and after labral refixation, which give hope to confirm that this surgical technique can delay or prevent progressive changes in the cartilage of the damaged hip joint.