Set of Classifications

General Classification of LCF Pathology

Version: 20240420

Annotation

Analysis of literature data and our own morphological observations allowed us to propose a General Classification of LCF Pathology.

Introduction

In Russia, the initial attempts to classify pathology of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) were made by morphologists. L.I. Gaevskaya distinguished three types of LCF: 1) long and thick (length 41–51 mm, thickness 5 mm), 2) short and thin (length 10–20 mm, thickness 1 mm), 3) long and of small thickness (length 43–45 mm, with a thickness of 3 mm, and length 28–30 mm with a thickness of 4–5 mm) (1954ГаевскаяЛИ). V.V. Kovanov, A.A. Travin identified three varieties of histological structure of LCF: 1) with a predominance of loose connective tissue; 2) with a predominance of dense connective tissue; 3) with a uniform distribution of loose and dense connective tissue (1963КовановВВ_ТравинАА).

The development of arthroscopic surgery has made it possible to identify various, previously undescribed types of LCF pathology, which prompted the development of various modern classifications based on intraoperative observations (1997GrayAJ_VillarRN; 2001RaoJ_VillarRN; 2010CerezalL_Pérez-CarroL; 2011BotserIB_DombBG; 2015SalasAP_O'DonnellJ M; 2017DevittBM_O'DonnellJM; 2018O'DonnellJM_AroraM). Analysis of literature data and our own morphological observations allowed us to propose a General Classification of the Ligamentum Teres Pathology, which has the form of a collection of classifiers (2020ArkhipovSV), as well as a Classification of Functions of the Ligamentum Teres (2020ArkhipovSV). The classification is intended to systematize pathology of LCF, assist in the development of general approaches to its description, registration, analysis, and treatment.

LCF pathology may be caused by local processes and injuries, as well as by diseases of the entire body, individual organs, or systems. Due to this, the systematic classification of all possible changes is challenging. In our collection, we have used terminology accepted in medicine and biology, applying term elements from various classifications: systematic, histological, morphological, traumatological, topographic, and functional.

Catalog. General Classification of LCF Pathology

DOMAINS OF LCF PATHOLOGY

TYPES OF LCF PATHOLOGY

CHARACTER OF LCF PATHOLOGY

FACTORS CAUSING OF LCF PATHOLOGY

VARIANTS OF LCF PATHOLOGY

PHASES OF LCF PATHOLOGY

LOCALIZATION OF LCF PATHOLOGY

LOCALIZATION OFPATHOLOGY IN THE DISTAL ATTACHMENT AREA OF LCF

LOCALIZATION OFPATHOLOGY IN THE PROXIMAL ATTACHMENT AREA OF LCF

LOCALIZATIONOF PATHOLOGY IN THE DISTAL PART OF LCF

LOCALIZATION OFPATHOLOGY IN THE PROXIMAL PART OF LCF

TYPE OF LCF INJURY

SUBTYPE OF LCF INJURY

MECHANISM OF LCF INJURY

DIRECT MECHANISM OF LCF INJURY

INDIRECT MECHANISM OF LCF INJURY

COMBINED MECHANISM OF LCF INJURY

ENERGY OF LCF INJURY

LCF INJURIES FROM THE TYPE OF ITS DEFORMATION

MAIN TYPES OF LCF INJURY

SUBTYPE OF COMPLETE LCF INJURY

SUBTYPE OF PARTIAL LCF INJURY

MORPHOLOGY OF LCF

HISTOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LCF ATTACHMENT SITES

Pathology of the Vascular System OF LCF

Pathology of the Nervous System OF LCF

Typesof LCF Infection

VARIETIES OF LOCAL INFECTIOUS INVOLVEMENT OF LCF

RESULT OF PATHOLOGICAL CHANGE OF LCF

PATHOMORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES OF LCF

NECROSIS OF LCF

METAPLASIA OF LCF

Neoplasms OF LCF

CHARACTERISTICS OF LCFCHANGES

CHANGESIN THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF LCF

CHANGING THE SPATIAL POSITION OF LCF

CHANGING OF GEOMETRICAL PROPERTIES OF LCF

PATHOLOGY OF LCF ATTACHMENT AREAS

Types of Pathology of LCF Attachment Area

Variants of Pathology of LCF Attachment Area

Pathology of the Distal Attachment Area of LCF

TOPOGORAPHY OF THE ACETABULAR CANAL

PATHOLOGY OF THE ACETABULAR CANAL

MAIN FUNCTIONS OF LCF

Effects of the Mechanical Function of LCF

ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF LCF FUNCTIONS

FUNCTIONS OF LCF

Degrees of LCF Function Performance

TYPES OF LCF DYSFUNCTIONS

Magnitude of LCF Load

Reasons for Increased Load on LCF

Reasons for Decreased Load on LCF

TYPES OF LCF RECONSTRUCTION

SUBTYPES OF LCF RECONSTRUCTION

Conclusion

We believe that the use of the provided classifiers will allow for a more comprehensive description of LCF pathology, aid in determining rational methods of treatment and restoration of its function, and assist in predicting the outcomes of hip joint diseases and injuries.

References

Гаевская ЛИ. Топографо-анатомические особенности связочного аппарата тазобедренного сустава и их значение для клиники: дис. ... канд. мед. наук. Ленинград, 1954.

Кованов ВВ, Травин АА. Хирургическая анатомия нижних конечностей. Москва, 1963. [1lib.sk]

Arkhipov SV. Classification of functions of the ligamentum teres. Ligamentum teres - ligamentum incognitum. 07.06.2020. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.32089.34403 [researchgate.net]

Arkhipov SV. General classification of the ligamentum teres pathology. Vers. 2.0.1, 41 sections, 343 paragraphs and subparagraphs. Update: 07.06.2020. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.25378.45769 [researchgate.net]

Botser IB, Martin DE, Stout CE, Domb BG. Tears of the ligamentum teres: prevalence in hip arthroscopy using 2 classification systems. Am J Sports Med. 2011;39(1):117S-25S. [journals.sagepub.com]

Cerezal L, Kassarjian A, Canga A, Dobado MC, Montero JA, Llopis E, Pérez-Carro L. Anatomy, biomechanics, imaging, and management of ligamentum teres injuries. Radiographics. 2010;30(6):1637-51. [pubs.rsna.org]

Devitt B.M., Smith B., Stapf R., Jo S., O’Donnell JM: The reliability of commonly used arthroscopic classifications of ligamentum teres pathology. J Hip Preserv Surg 2017;4(2):187-93. [scholar.google]

Gray AJ, Villar RN. The ligamentum teres of the hip: an arthroscopic classification of its pathology. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic & Related Surgery. 1997;13(5):575-8. [sciencedirect.com]

O’Donnell JM, Devitt BM, Arora M. The role of the ligamentum teres in the adult hip: redundant or relevant? A review. Journal of hip preservation surgery 2018;5(1):15-22. [academic.oup.com]

Rao J, Zhou YX, Villar RN. Injury to the ligamentum teres: mechanism, findings, and results of treatment. Clin Sports Med 2001;20(4):791-9. [sportsmed.theclinics.com]

Salas AP, O’Donnell JM. Ligamentum teres injuries - an observational study of a proposed new arthroscopic classification. J Hip Preserv Surg. 2015;2(3):258-264. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Keywords

ligamentum capitis femoris, ligamentum teres, ligament of head of femur, classification, pathology

External links

Arkhipov SV. General Classification of LCF Pathology; Version: 20240420. About round ligament of femur (ligament of head of femur), 2024.04.20. [roundligament.blogspot.com]

In translating to English, the author is assisted by ChatGPT (version 3.5) and the Google Translate service.

BLOG CONTENT

CATALOGS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES

Comments

LCF in 2026 (September)

LCF in 2026 (September ) (Quotes from articles and books published in September 2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris) Goetz, J. E., Hockman, J., & Willey, M. C. (2026). Rabbit models of hip dysplasia: a narrative review. Laboratory animal research , 42 (1), 32. [i] link.springer.com Kahana-Rojkind, A. H., Strok, M. J., Walsh, E. G., Quesada-Jimenez, R., Kuhns, B. D., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Factors Associated With Return to Sport at Minimum 10-Year Follow-up in Athletes With Borderline Hip Dysplasia Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy With Capsular Plication. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine , 14 (9), 23259671261451218. [ii] journals.sagepub.com Stanard, I., Almhanna, H., Al-Mahmodi, A. M. M., Kilroy, D., & Kumar, A. H. (2026). Comparative Analysis of Vascular Density in the Femoral Head Ligament of the Dog, Sheep, and Goat. [iii] oajr.org , researchgate.net Hirt, J., Roshardt, ...

Tiktaalik roseae

TIKTAALIK ROSEAE The first truly tetrapod animal (Limbed tetrapods) is recognized as the lobe-finned fish Tiktaalik roseae (clade Elpistostegalia), discovered in rocks aged about 375 Ma (2006DaeschlerEB_JenkinsJrFA; 2008ShubinN; 2017ShubinN). Discoveries in recent years have allowed us to place the taxa of early tetrapodomorphs in the following order: Tinirau, Eusthenopteron, Megalichthys, Panderichthys, Qikiqtania, Tiktaalik, Elpistostege, Parmastega, Ventastega, Acanthostega, Elginerpeton, Ymeria, Ichthyostega (2022StewartTA_ShubinNH). The closest ancestor of Tiktaalik roseae, the fragments of the skeleton of which are relatively well preserved, is Panderichthys. Reconstruction of the prehistoric fish Pandericthys Author Tyler Rhodes; original in the wikipedia.org collection (license CC BY-SA 3.0, no changes). The shape of the skeleton of the pectoral fin and shoulder girdle suggests that Panderichthys rhombolepis "walked" (2006AhlbergPE_ClackJA). At the very least...

1785SandifortE

Fragments from the book Sandifort E. Descriptio ossium hominis. (1785). The author briefly writes about the attachment of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF). Quote p. 104 [Lat] Os ischium… … Qua spectat pelvim (a) os ischion æquabile est, modice cavatum, ab exteriore profunde sinuatum (b). Sinus hic, quem acetabulum vocant, maximus, sere rotundus, est, dividique potest in partes duas, alteram semilunarem quodammodo, cartilagine tectam (c), hinc æquabilem, alteram altius excavatam, asperam (d), glandulæ muciparæ sedem præbentem, & educentem ligamentum teres, quod capiti ossis femoris infigitur (e). … Quote p. 108-109 [Lat] Femoris os … … Caput magnum, globosum, cartilagine lævi incrustatum, oblique positum (b), id est, sursum introrsumque tendens, magnitudine & figura cum acetabulo (i) congruens, intra illud admittitur, illique alligatur per ligamentum teres, quod firmiter adhæret ab altera parte acetabulo, ab altera sinui profundo, inæquabili, qui in dicto capite est (k...

18c.FontebassoF

Fontebasso F, painting, Jacob wrestling with the angel (18th cent.). Depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) injury based on the description in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work: Ninth month, eleventh day ( 2024АрхиповСВ. Девятый месяц, одиннадцатый день ). Francesco Fontebasso – Jacob Wrestling with the Angel (18th cent.); original in the matthiesenga...

LCF in 2026 (August)

LCF in 2026 (August ) (Quotes from articles and books published in August 2026 mentioning the ligamentum capitis femoris) Maldonado, D. R., Schab, A. R., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Improvement in Patient‐Reported Outcomes, High Rate of Return to Sport, and Secondary Surgery Rate Ranging From 0% to 9.8% After Hip Arthroscopy in Dancers and Athletes in Flexibility Sports: A Systematic Review. Arthroscopy, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation , e70020. [i] arthroscopyjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com Klingele, K., & Strub, D. (2026). Author Response: Considerations and Challenges in Open Reduction With Ligamentum Teres Reconstruction for Pediatric Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics . [ii] ovid.com Quesada‐Jimenez, R., Rana, K., Strok, M. J., Kahana‐Rojkind, A. H., Burt, A. K., Sugarman, E. P., & Domb, B. G. (2026). Dual Labral and Ligamentum Ter...

Plaque

Memorial plaque, bas-relief – Jacob wrestling with an angel. Variant of depicting the circumstances and mechanism of the ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) injury based on the description in the Book of Genesis: 25 And Ja cob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 26 And when he saw that he could not pre vail against him, he struck against the hollow of his thigh ; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was put out of joint, as he was wrestling with him. … 33 Therefore do the children of Israel not eat the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he struck against the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew that shrank. ( 1922LeeserI , Genesis (Bereshit) 32:25-26,33) More about the plot in our work: Ninth month, eleventh day ( 2024 АрхиповСВ. Девятый месяц, одиннадцатый день ). https://www.ancientsculpturegallery.com/jacob-wrestling-with-the-angel-plaque.html...

Homo floresiensis

HOMO FLORESIENSIS Homo floresiensis lived on the island of Flores (Indonesia) 190-50 Kya (2016SutiknaT_RobertsRG). The ancestor of this species is «suspected» to be the Asian subtype Homo erectus, which arrived from the mainland about 800 Kya (2009LyrasGA_DeVosJ). The anatomy of Homo floresiensis is less similar to Homo habilis (2008Gordon_WoodB). Homo floresiensis Author: Cicero Moraes et al. (Arc-Team) ; source: wikimedia.org collection (license CC BY 4.0, no changes). Among the discovered remains of a female Homo floresiensis ( humanorigins . si . edu ) there is a relatively well-preserved left pelvic bone (LB1/7). It has a « typically human » acetabulum (2009JungersWL_DjubiantonoT:Fig.3). The acetabulum has a complete fusion of the three bones that form it and is not hypoplastic (2012BrownP:Fig.4). The acetabular fossa is rounded and deep, continuing downwards and forwards as a wide acetabular notch. This area is the site of attachment and func...

Catalog. Arthroscopic reconstruction

Introduction Currently, ligamentum capitis femoris (LCF) reconstruction using arthroscopic technologies is considered promising. According to the literature available to us, the first such operation was performed by Marc J. Philippon, which he first reported on in May 2006 (2006PhilipponMJ). Until now, reconstruction of LCF using minimally invasive technologies has not yet become widespread. The long-term results of arthroscopic LCF repair are still uncertain due to insufficient number of surgical procedures performed and short follow-up period (2014O'DonnellJM_SinghPJ). Catalog Arthroscopic LCF reconstruction and discussion of technique Abibe RB, Rahal SC, dos Reis Mesquita L, Doiche D, da Silva, JP, Mamprim, MJ, Pinho RH, Battazza A, Alves CEF, Saunders WB. Ligamentum teres reconstruction using autogenous semitendinosus tendon with toggle technique in rabbits. PeerJ. 2023;11:e14777. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14777 [ peerj.com , peerj.com(PDF) ] Al'Khafaji, ...

Great Compilation. Chapter 10

English version of the article: Архипов СВ. Книга Берешит как великая компиляция текстов и смыслов Второго переходного периода Египта: пилотная культурологическая, медицинская, археологическая и текстологическая экспертиза преданий против традиционной атрибуции. Введение. О круглой связке бедра . 14.02.2026 . The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2026АрхиповСВ . The Book of Genesis as a Great Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt: A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution. Chapter 10 By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Book of Genesis. Chapter 10 Analysis [iii] Notes to Chapter 10 [iv] AI Agent's Conclusion [v] Content [vi] External links [vii] Application [i] Abstract The Book of Genesis (Bereshith) wa...

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