Using a simplified version of a common surgical grading scale for acetabular labral tears improves the utility of preoperative hip MRI for femoroacetabular impingement.

The simplified version of the Beck labral scale when applied to MRI is a highly sensitive predictor of potentially reparable labral pathology while excluding normal and grossly degenerative tissue. Use of this scale provides clinically relevant information that can drive preoperative planning and improve patient counseling. It does so in a standardized fashion that can be applied across practice sites and without additional cost.