Ultrasound versus magnetic resonance arthrography in acetabular labral tear diagnostics: a prospective comparison in 20 dysplastic hips

Background: Acetabular labral tears are highly associated with hip dysplasia. Magnetic resonance arthrography (MR arthrography) is the expensive and time-consuming contemporary gold-standard method in the radiological assessment of acetabular labral tears.

Purpose: To assess the diagnostic ability of noninvasive ultrasound (US) examination compared to MR arthrography in diagnosing acetabular labral tears in dysplastic hip joints.

Material and Methods: The study compared US examination and MR arthrography diagnosis of labral tears in 20 consecutively referred dysplastic hip joints.

Results: The ability to diagnose acetabular labral tears upon US examination was calculated: sensitivity 44%, specificity 75%, positive predictive value 88%, and negative predictive value 25%.

Conclusion: The ability of US examination in diagnosing acetabular labral tears is not yet good enough. The technique is still to be developed, and more experience, especially with the interpretation of US examinations, is needed.