Labral repair is the first line treatment for a torn labrum. However, in order for the repair to have a high likelihood of successful healing the labral tissue must be robust, it must have adequate blood flow, and it must be without significant degeneration or calcification. When these criteria are not met, or a previous attempt at repair fails, there is an alternative method of reconstituting the labral seal and preserving native labral function – with labral reconstruction.

Labral reconstruction involves removing the damaged labrum and replacing it with a tissue allograft (from cadaver tissue) designed to emulate the native labrum in size, characteristics, and function. According to our experience, which is aligned with published series from most high volume hip surgeons, the need for labral reconstruction is around 1 every 15 patients (7%). The procedure can be carried out with minimally invasive hip arthroscopy and the literature supports excellent outcomes at short term, with reliable healing and incorporation of the graft. As is the case for labral repair, the reconstruction alone will not address the underlying problem and must be supplemented with appropriate bony work to reconstitute the normal anatomy and biomechanics of the hip joint.