Labral Gracilis Tendon Allograft Reconstruction and Cartilage Regeneration Scaffold for an Uncontained Acetabular Cartilage Defect of the Hip

Hip cartilage injuries are very common, with rates as high as 50% having been reported in some series; abnormal femoral acetabular contact can result in a full-thickness cartilage defect or labral lesion. The prevalence of labral lesions can be as high as 55%. This Technical Note describes an arthroscopic technique to reconstruct an uncontained, full-thickness, focal cartilage defect of the acetabulum, with reconstruction of the missing labrum using a gracilis allograft and use of a biological liquid scaffold for cartilage reconstruction. Capsulotomy, acetabuloplasty, and microfracture with marrow bleeding should be performed simultaneously with the gracilis allograft preparation. The graft is inserted and anchored to reconstruct the missing labrum and to re-create a contained defect. Suction and drying of the joint surfaces are performed while the mixture of BST-CarGel (Piramal Healthcare, Laval, Quebec, Canada) and blood is prepared. A drop-by-drop technique is then used to reconstruct the cartilage defect.