Acetabular Dysplasia

What Is Acetabular Dysplasia?

A condition of mechanical instability of the hip caused by inadequate coverage of the femoral head (ball) by a shallow or obliquely oriented acetabulum (socket). Usually, the shallowness of the socket is less severe than in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), which contributes to why acetabular dysplasia usually causes symptoms later in life, in older children, adolescents and young adults.

Acetabular dysplasia is most commonly associated with childhood DDH and a family history of hip osteoarthritis, but can also develop as a result of other childhood hip conditions, such as infection, trauma or Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. Residual acetabular dysplasia may develop if the hip does not grow normally after treatment for childhood DDH.

Over time, untreated acetabular dysplasia can cause cartilage damage inside the hip joint, resulting in labral tears, cartilage damage, and arthritis of the hip. Acetabular dysplasia usually presents as anterior hip or groin pain, usually worse with high-level activities and positions of high hip flexion and hyperextension.

Acetabular dysplasia is diagnosed through a physical examination by your doctor, X-rays, and sometimes MRI. The treatment for acetabular dysplasia is a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), which reorients the acetabulum to cover the femoral head more adequately, thereby providing greater mechanical stability to the hip joint. If there is significant damage inside the joint, PAO may be combined with opening the hip joint or hip arthroscopy to fix the damage.