Successful treatment of isolated, partial thickness ligamentum teres (LT) tears with debridement and capsulorrhaphy

Background: To determine if the addition of anterior capsular tightening to the treatment of partial ligamentum teres (LT) tears by debridement will diminish the recurrence rate of symptoms due to LT retears. Method: A prospective case series, including all patients treated for an isolated LT tear from June 2009 to August 2011. Arthroscopically the tear was debrided using radiofrequency (RF) and the joint capsule was tightened using either RF or suture plication. All the patients were prospectively assessed with the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) and the Non Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS). A total of 1574 hip arthroscopies were performed from June 2009 to November 2011. Isolated partial LT tears, were found in 27 hips (26 patients). The average age was 24.4 years (range 12-45). There were 24 females and two males. Results: Over an average follow-up period of 32 months (range 23-49), MHHS and NAHS preoperative outcome scores improved significantly. No revision surgery was required for a recurrent tear. Conclusion: Debridement of partial thickness LT tears, with additional anterior capsule tightening, has been shown to lead to improvents in MHHS and NAHS, with no recurrence of symptoms due to LT retear in the short to medium term.