Abstract
A study by Harris reported a 40% incidence of femoral and acetabular dysplasia in routine idiopathic osteoarthritic patients. Fortunately most are minimally dysplastic requiring little modification from standard total hip surgical techniques. However, as the degree of dysplasia increases numerous anatomic distortions are present. These include high hip centres, relative acetabular retroversion, soft bone in the true acetabular area, increased femoral neck anteversion and relative posteriorly positioned greater trochanters, metaphyseal/diaphyseal size mismatch, and small femoral canals. Total hip replacements for these patients have known higher risks for earlier loosening, dislocation, and neurovascular injuries.
Use of medialised small uncemented acetabular components placed in the anatomic acetabulum, modular uncemented femoral components, and diaphyseal rotational and shortening osteotomies has become the standard method of treatment. In 2007, we reported our experience with this technique in 23 cases utilising a subtrochanteric femoral osteotomy with a 5–14 year follow-up. There were 4 Crowe I, 3 Crowe II, 5 Crowe III, and 11 Crowe IV cases. All osteotomies healed. There were no femoral components revised. One acetabular component was revised for a recalled component. 3 acetabular liners were revised for wear (2 were very small cups with 4.7 mm poly thickness). 4 patients sustained dislocations, with 2 closed and 2 open reductions. There were no neurovascular injuries.
The Crowe classification is commonly used to pre-operatively classify the degree of dysplasia. However, there are large variations in these anatomic distortions within each class, so it is difficult to pre-operatively plan the acetabular component size needed and if one will need to do shortening and/or rotational osteotomy. So the surgeon needs to bring their entire bag of tricks and tools for these surgeries.
