Chondrolabral separation

MRI for the
preoperative evaluation of femoroacetabular impingement. A 46-year-old woman with combined cam and pincer impingement. a Sagittal PD-weighted MRI demonstrates separation at the chondrolabral junction (black arrow). b Arthroscopic photo in the same patient demonstrates acetabular cartilage (A), labrum (L), and the transition zone between (dots). There is chondrolabral separation between 1 and 3 o"clock (white arrow) and chondral delamination (black arrowheads) adjacent to the transition zone
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MRI for the
preoperative evaluation of femoroacetabular impingement. A 48-year-old man with combined cam and pincer impingement. a Coronal PD-weighted MRI demonstrates labral degeneration with intralabral ossification (white arrow). Separation is seen at the chondrolabral junction (black arrow). There is moderate to high-grade chondral wear over the superior femoral head and anterosuperior dome (arrowheads). b Axial oblique PD-weighted image shows a non-displaced tear of the anterior and anterosuperior labrum (arrow), with an associated intralabral cyst (arrowhead). c Arthroscopy image in the same patient demonstrates the labrum (L), acetabular (A), and femoral head (F) articular surfaces. An intrasubstance labral tear between 12 and 4 o"clock (white arrows), impaction erythema (asterisk), and chondral delamination at the transition zone (arrowhead) are seen. d There is moderate chondral wear (black arrows) over the femoral head, and normal cartilage is seen adjacent to this area (F)
insightsimaging.springeropen.com • Open Access
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Chondrolabral separation refers to a form of chondrolabral injury, where the labrum is separated from the adjacent cartilage at the articular margin.

Terminology

Chondrolabral separation is referred to as a chondrolabral injury seen in the hip. It can also occur in the shoulder joint, but similar injuries there are termed differently.

Pathology

Chondrolabral separation can occur as a result of femoroacetabular impingement with cam morphology, where the loss of sphericity of the femoral head-neck junction leads to shear forces at the chondrolabral junction during hip flexion and internal rotation. The labrum is hereby forced outward and the adjacent cartilage is compressed, which can then leads to a detachment of the labrum from the adjacent cartilage and transitional zone at the articular margin with possible additional chondral delamination, also known as Carpet lesion as a sequel .

Location

This type of lesion typically occurs at the anterosuperior aspect of the acetabulum

See also