Anatomical study of the synovial plicae of the hip joint.

Observations and measurements of the synovial plicae of the hip joints were made on 63 embalmed cadavers. The cadavers were divided equally among three age groups (fetuses, children, and adults). Our observations showed that the plicae appeared in two forms (flat and villous) and were mainly confined to the external surface of the lower medial part of the acetabular labrum (labral plicae), the base of the ligament of the head of the femur (ligamental plicae), and along the reflecting line of the synovial membrane on the base of the femoral neck (neck plicae). The ligamental plicae were well padded with a fibroelastic pad of fat filling the acetabular fossa, and the neck plicae were far away from the articular surfaces of the joint; as a result, neither was likely to be injured or entrapped during joint movements. The labral plicae were larger than the ligamental or neck plicae and had an incidence of 73.8% in the fetal group. The fetal plicae were found only after the fetal age of 5 months. In nine cases of the child and adult groups, the labral plicae extended between the articular surface of the femoral head and the lower part of the acetabulum during medial rotation of the thigh. When the thigh was rotated laterally, the plicae in six of the same cases could be returned to their original positions. In the remaining three cases, there was continual impingement.