The relationship of the orientation of the transverse acetabular ligament and acetabular labrum to the suggested safe zones of cup positioning in total hip arthroplasty.
BACKGROUND
There is a need to develop and validate a method for establishing cup orientation that is patient specific and independent of the anterior pelvic plane. It is our hypothesis that the transverse acetabular ligament and acetabular labrum can be used to do this. The objective of this study is to define the orientation of the plane formed by the transverse acetabular ligament and acetabular labrum and to examine whether these local landmarks lie within the limits of acceptance for cup positioning.


METHODS
Twenty-five consecutive patients, who were being investigated for labral tears with a MRI arthrogram of the hip, were enrolled in this prospective study. The orientation of the transverse acetabular ligament-labrum plane was determined by manually selecting points on the transverse acetabular ligament and labrum. The best-fit plane through these points was determined and its operative orientation expressed with respect to a constructed pelvic coordinate system.


RESULTS
The operative anteversion of the transverse acetabular ligament-labrum plane ranged from 5.3-36.1 inverted exclamation mark (mean 23.0 inverted exclamation mark + or - 7.4 inverted exclamation mark standard deviation). The inclination ranged from 38.4-50.3 inverted exclamation mark (mean 45.6 inverted exclamation mark + or - 3.2 inverted exclamation mark standard deviation).


CONCLUSIONS
The transverse acetabular ligament and acetabular labrum offer a possible solution to the many difficulties involved in cup placement during total hip arthroplasty. This paper highlights the variation in the orientation of these local acetabular landmarks and questions the logic of a set target for cup positioning.
Archbold
H A P
HA
Outcomes Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. poolerarchbold@aol.com
Slomczykowski
M
M
Crone
M
M
Eckman
K
K
Jaramaz
B
B
Beverland
D E
DE
D000077:Acetabulum / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult