Rupture of the labra acetabularis as a cause of hip pain detected arthroscopically, and partial limbectomy for successful pain relief.

We describe two patients who had pain of unknown cause in the right hip for many years. Plain roentgenograms results were normal, and arthrography did not reveal any abnormal findings. Because clinical examinations strongly suggested internal derangement of the hip, arthroscopies of the hips were performed. The labra acetabularis were observed to be ruptured at the posterior margin of the acetabulum. Partial limbectomies were performed by the posterior approach, and the patients showed marked decrease in hip pain postoperatively. This report shows that a solitary lesion of fibrocartilaginous tissue of the hip can cause hip pain. These conditions can be easily misdiagnosed as sciatica.