Usefulness of MR arthrography of the hip with leg traction in the evaluation of ligamentum teres injuries

Abstract

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography of the hip with leg traction in the evaluation of ligamentum teres lesions and to evaluate whether there is increased articular distraction, possibly indicating secondary instability, in hips with ligamentum teres injuries.

Materials and methods: Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained for this retrospective study. MR arthrograms of the hip with leg traction of 184 consecutive patients, including 108 men (mean age, 32.6 years; range, 19-53 years) and 76 women (mean age, 38.5 years; range, 18-56 years), who underwent hip arthroscopy were assessed for the presence of ligamentum teres lesions. The MR arthrographic findings were independently assessed by two radiologists who were blinded to the arthroscopic results. The inclusion criteria stipulated no previous surgery, arthroscopy within 1 month after MR arthrography, and availability of a detailed surgical report with ligamentum teres findings. The arthroscopy findings served as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and K statistics for interobserver and intraobserver agreement were calculated.

Results: At arthroscopy, 32 ligamentum teres injuries were found. The ligamentum teres was normal in 152 (82.6%) patients and had suffered low-grade partial tears in 15 (8.1%) patients, high-grade partial tears in 10 (5.4%) patients, and complete ruptures in 7 (3.8%) patients. MR arthrography with axial traction demonstrated moderate sensitivity and high specificity for both low-grade (62/93%) and high-grade (66/96%) partial tears. Grouping low- and high-grade partial tears increased the diagnostic performance of MR arthrography, yielding a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 95%. For complete ligamentum teres tears, MR arthrography with leg traction demonstrated high sensitivity (92%) and specificity (98%). Articular distraction was significantly increased in patients with complete ruptures of the ligamentum teres (p = 0.001).

Conclusion: MR arthrography with leg traction offers accurate diagnosis of ligamentum teres injuries. Patients with complete tears of the ligamentum teres exhibit increased articular distraction that may indicate secondary hip instability.

Keywords: Hip arthroscopy; Hip injuries; Hip pain; Instability; Ligamentum teres; Ligamentum teres pathology; MR arthrography.