Transarticular tumor invasion via ligamentum teres. A clinical-pathologic study of 12 patients.

We studied 12 patients who were operated on for malignant tumors in and around the hip joint. A correlative study, including preoperative staging studies and anatomical-pathologic aspects of the hip joint, was performed. In 4 of the 12 patients, we found direct histologic evidence of tumor invasion from the head of the femur through the ligamentum teres to the acetabular fovea and vice versa. It seems that the ligamentum teres is a potential route for transarticular spread of a tumor.