Editorial Commentary: Ligamentum Teres Reconstruction May Improve Hip Stability But Has High Revision Rates: Fad or Restoration of Function?

Ligamentum teres (LT) tears are correlated with hip instability, and biomechanical research suggests there is a stabilizing function of the intact native LT. With regard to LT reconstruction, currently, there are imaging studies demonstrating that the ligament goes on to heal and properly function. There are also no long-term clinical studies on the success rates of LT reconstruction. The clinical studies that have been done are done with a fairly high number of concomitant procedures, which makes it difficult to discern whether improvement can be attributed to the LT reconstruction. A recent review shows that after LT reconstruction, these very difficult patients can respond favorably to surgery two-thirds of the time. However, in the remaining one-third of patients, an additional surgery was required. In my own practice, patients with instability patterns on examination who have failed primary arthroscopy and have any degree of even minor bony dysplasia with signs of ligamentous laxity and LT tear are a population that I personally would recommend a periacetabular osteotomy to optimize bony stability. For those not a candidate for periacetabular osteotomy , the patient should be educated on the risks of failure of LT reconstruction and have reasonable expectations, and the operation should be performed by an experienced hip arthroscopist with LT reconstruction experience.