Aims. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is one of the most common hip diseases of adolescence that can cause marked disability, yet there is little robust evidence to guide treatment. Fundamental aspects of the disease, such as frequency, are unknown and consequently the desire of clinicians to undertake robust intervention studies is somewhat prohibited by a lack of fundamental knowledge. Methods. The study is an anonymized nationwide comprehensive cohort study with nested consented within the mechanism of the British Orthopaedic Surgery Surveillance (BOSS) Study. All relevant hospitals treating SCFE in England, Scotland, and Wales will contribute anonymized case details. Potential missing cases will be cross-checked against two independent external sources of data (the national administrative data and independent trainee data). Patients will be invited to enrich the data collected by supplementing anonymized case data with patient-reported outcome measures. In line with recommendations of the IDEAL Collaboration, the study will primarily seek to determine incidence, describe case mix and variations in surgical interventions, and explore the relationships between baseline factors (patients and types of interventions) and two-year outcomes. Discussion. This is the first disease to be investigated using the BOSS Study infrastructure. It provides a robust method to determine the disease frequency, and a large unbiased sample of cases from which treatment strategies can be investigated. It may form the basis for definitive robust intervention studies or, where these are demonstrated not to be feasible, this may be the most robust cohort study

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is relatively common in adolescents and results in a complex deformity of the hip that can lead to femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). FAI may be symptomatic and lead to the premature development of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip. Current techniques for managing the deformity include arthroscopic femoral neck osteochondroplasty, an arthroscopically assisted limited anterior approach to the hip, surgical dislocation, and proximal femoral osteotomy. Although not a routine procedure to treat FAI secondary to SCFE deformity, peri-acetabular osteotomy has been successfully used to treat FAI caused by acetabular over-coverage. These procedures should be considered for patients with symptoms due to a deformity of the hip secondary to SCFE. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:445–51

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is uncommon in India and we routinely look for associated metabolic or endocrine abnormalities. In this study we investigated a possible association between vitamin D deficiency and SCFE. All children presenting with SCFE during the study period had their 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels measured as part of an overall metabolic, renal and endocrine status evaluation, which included measurement of body mass index (BMI). Vitamin D status was compared with age-, gender- and habitat-matched controls with acute trauma or sepsis presenting to our emergency department. A total of 15 children (12 boys and three girls) with a mean age of 13 years (. sd. 1.81; 10 to 16) presented for treatment for SCFE during a two-year period beginning in January 2010. Renal and thyroid function was within the normal range in all cases. The mean BMI was 24.9 kg/m. 2. (17.0 to 33.8), which was significantly higher than that of the controls (p = 0.006). There was a statistically significant difference between the mean values of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the children with SCFE and the controls (11.78 ng/ml (. sd. 5.4) versus 27.06 ng/ml (. sd. 5.53), respectively; p < 0.001). We concluded that, along with high BMI, there is a significant association of vitamin D deficiency and SCFE in India. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:851–4

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) may lead to symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). We report our experience of arthroscopic treatment, including osteochondroplasty, for the sequelae of SCFE. . Data were prospectively collected on patients undergoing arthroscopy of the hip for the sequelae of SCFE between March 2007 and February 2013, including demographic data, radiological assessment of the deformity and other factors that may influence outcome, such as the presence of established avascular necrosis. Patients completed the modified Harris hip score (mHHS) and the non-arthritic hip score (NAHS) before and after surgery. . In total, 18 patients with a mean age of 19 years (13 to 42), were included in the study. All patients presented with pain in the hip and mechanical symptoms, and had evidence of FAI (cam or mixed impingement) on plain radiographs. . The patients underwent arthroscopic osteoplasty of the femoral neck. The mean follow-up was 29 months (23 to 56). . The mean mHHS and NAHS scores improved from 56.2 (27.5 to 100.1) and 52.1 (12.5 to 97.5) pre-operatively to 75.1 (33.8 to 96.8, p = 0.01) and 73.6 (18.8 to 100, p = 0.02) at final follow-up, respectively. Linear regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between poorer outcome scores and increased time to surgery following SCFE (p < 0.05 for all parameters except baseline MHHS). Symptomatic FAI following (SCFE) may be addressed using arthroscopic techniques, and should be treated promptly to minimise progressive functional impairment and chondrolabral degeneration. Take home message: Arthroscopy of the hip can be used to treat femoroacetabular impingement successfully following SCFE. However, this should be performed promptly after presentation in order to prevent irreversible progression and poorer clinical outcomes. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:21–7

The February 2024 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: Hip impingement after in situ pinning causes decreased flexion and forced external rotation in flexion on 3D-CT; Triplane ankle fracture patterns in paediatric patients; Improved forearm rotation even after early conversion to below-elbow; Selective dorsal rhizotomy and cerebral palsy (CP) hip displacement; Abduction bracing following anterior open reduction for developmental dysplasia of the hip does not improve residual dysplasia or reduce secondary surgery; 40% risk of later total hip arthroplasty for in situ slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) pinning; Does brace treatment following closed reduction of developmental dysplasia of the hip improve acetabular coverage?; Waterproof hip spica casts for paediatric femur fractures.

Aims

We aimed to assess the cumulative risk of total hip arthroplasty (THA) from in situ fixation for slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) after a follow-up of almost 50 years.

The December 2023 Children’s orthopaedics Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: A comprehensive nonoperative treatment protocol for developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants; How common are refractures in childhood?; Femoral nailing for paediatric femoral shaft fracture in children aged eight to ten years; Who benefits from allowing the physis to grow in slipped capital femoral epiphysis?; Paediatric patients with an extremity bone tumour: a secondary analysis of the PARITY trial data; Split tibial tendon transfers in cerebral palsy equinovarus foot deformities; Liposomal bupivacaine nerve block: an answer to opioid use?; Correction with distal femoral transphyseal screws in hemiepiphysiodesis for coronal-plane knee deformity.

Aims

The aim of this study was to inform the epidemiology and treatment of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE).

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is traditionally treated with in situ fixation using a threaded screw, leading to physeal arrest while stabilizing the femoral head. Recently, there has been interest in alternative methods of fixation for SCFE, aiming to allow growth and remodelling of the femoral neck postoperatively. One such option is the Free Gliding SCFE Screw (Pega Medical), which employs a telescopic design intended to avoid physeal compression. The objective of this study is to evaluate radiographic changes of the proximal femur following in situ fixation using the Free Gliding SCFE Screw. This study retrospectively evaluated 28 hips in 14 consecutive patients who underwent in situ hip fixation using the Free Gliding SCFE Screw between 2014 and 2018. Initial postoperative radiographs were compared to last available follow-up imaging. Radiographic assessment included screw length, articulotrochanteric distance (ATD), posterior sloping angle (PSA), alpha angle, head-neck offset (HNO) and head-shaft angle (HSA). Of the 28 hips reviewed, 17 were treated for SCFE and an additional 11 treated prophylactically. Average age at surgery was 11.7 years, with an average follow-up of 1.44 years. Screw length increased by 2.3 mm (p < 0.001). ATD decreased from 25.4 to 22.2 mm (p < 0.001). Alpha angle decreased from 68.7 to 59.8 degrees (p = 0.004). There was a trend towards an increase in HNO (p = 0.07). There was no significant change in PSA or HAS. There were three complications (two patients with retained broken guide wires, and one patient requiring screw removal for hip pain). With use of the Free Gliding SCFE Screw, there was evidence of screw expansion and femoral neck remodelling with short-term follow-up. More research is required to determine the long-term impact of these changes on hip function, and to aid in patient selection for this technology

Background. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) creates a complex deformity of the hip that can result in cam type of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), which may in turn lead to the early development of osteoarthritis of the hip. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the existing literature reporting on the efficacy of hip arthroscopic treatment of patients with FAI secondary to SCFE. Methods. A systematic computer search was conducted based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines using Embase, PubMed (Medline), and Cochrane Library up to November 2019. Data such as patient demographics, surgical outcomes and complications that described arthroscopic surgery following FAI secondary to SCFE were retrieved from eligible studies. Two authors independently reviewed study inclusion and data extraction with independent verification. Results. Following filtration, seven studies were included in this review comprising 96 patients (100 hips). The mean age was 14.9 years (SD, 2.7), and 54.2% of the cases were male. Eighty seven percent patients had undergone previous procedures at the first diagnosis of SCFE. Slip severity at the time of performing hip arthroscopy was mild for 54%, moderate for 31% and severe deformity for 15%. The mean alpha angle corrections was 32.0° (SD, 6.0°), and the mean improvement of internal rotation angle at 90° flexion was 23.6° (sd, 9.5°). ModifiedHarris Hip Scores (mHHS) was most reported (n = 3 studies; 38 hips) of the clinical outcomes, and the mean improvement of mHHS was 22.0 (sd, 3.6). Complication rates were 10%, and revision rate was 6.0%. Conclusion. Patients with FAI secondary to SCFE undergoing arthroscopic treatment demonstrate improved improvement in clinical outcome, rotation of the hip and correction of the alpha angle. It remains to be seen whether this eventually leads to prevention of OA and avoiding arthroplasty in this group of patients

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is associated with a spectrum of proximal femoral deformity and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Little attention has been given, however, to the possible effect of SCFE on remaining hip growth. Our observation that some acetabula in hips with SCFE have various dysmorphology led us to evaluate the growth of the hip in our patients with SCFE. We performed an IRB-approved retrospective study of our intramural SCFE database which identified 108 hips with unilateral SCFE, at least 2 years of radiographic followup, and closure of triradiate cartilage, greater trochanter and proximal femoral physis. The contralateral non-SCFE hip was used as control. Average age at presentation was 12.3 y. 49 patients were male, 59 female. Statistically significant differences were noted between SCFE and control hip both at both presentation and last followup(FU): Mean LCEA lower in SCFE hip at presentation by 0.97 degree; increasing to 4.36 degrees at last FU(p<0.0001). No difference noted in mean Tonnis roof angle at presentation, but at last FU SCFE hips had mean roof angle difference of 3.2 degrees higher than control(p<.0001). In some of our SCFE patients, acetabular deformity has impacted treatment. Ongoing studies may clarify risk factors for the development of problematic acetabular deformity associated with SCFE and perhaps allow prevention of secondary acetabular deformity

Purpose. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common hip disorder in children 9–15 years old. The epidemiology for SCFE in the total population of Sweden has not yet been described. Methods. In a prospective cohort study, we analysed pre- and postoperative radiographs and medical records for all children treated for SCFE in Sweden 2007–2013, and noted demographic data, severity of slip, and surgical procedures performed. Results. We identified 379 Swedish children with primary SCFE 2007–2013; 162 girls, median age 12 (7–15) years, and 217 boys, median age 13 (4–17) years. The cumulative incidence was 45.8/100 000 for girls and 58.2/100 000 for boys. As an initial symptom, 66% of the children had hip/groin pain and 12% knee pain. At first presentation, 7% of the children had bilateral SCFE. Prophylactic fixation was performed in 43% . Of the remaining children, 21% later developed a contralateral slip. Fixation with implants permitting further growth of the femoral neck was used in 90% of the children. Femoral neck osteotomy was performed for 11 hips. Of 34 treating hospitals, only three treated > 3 children with SCFE annually. Conclusions. The cumulative incidence 2007–2013 in the total population in Sweden showed a mild increase for girls. The male-to-female ratio was lower than previously described for Sweden. Prophylactic fixation was performed in 43% of the children. Fixation with an implant that allows further growth was used for 90% of the children. Most hospitals in Sweden treat < 2 children annually

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common hip disorder in adolescents and its incidence is on the increase. Obesity is purported to be a significant risk factor in the pathogenesis of this condition. Measurements for weight and BMI’s are good techniques in identifying children at risk and those who are obese. In this retrospective review, we provide clear evidence of a relationship between SCFE and obesity based on weight-to-age percentiles. 64 patients with radiologically diagnosed SCFE were compared with 88 controls without histories of hip pathology. In the SCFE group, 45.3% were above the 95th percentile as opposed to 12.1% in the control group (P=< 0.0001). In addition, the obesity risk group (85–95th percentile) numbers were much higher in the SCFE group (15.6%) compared to controls (7.7%) (P=< 0.0001). Obesity is a modifiable risk factor in most cases and thus, identifying children at risk using weight-to-age percentile charts correcting for gender is potentially beneficial in reducing the incidence of SCFE

Purpose: Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a poorly understood condition impacting adolescents. Its consequences can be severe, even where there is early recognition and treatment is implemented. Prior studies have suggested that the etiology may be related to abnormal collagen comprising the growth plate cartilage, but no investigations have analyzed collagen or other structural proteins on a molecular level in the affected tissue. This study evaluates expression of mRNA for key structural proteins obtained from growth plate chondrocytes of patients suffering SCFE. Method: The work utilizes laser capture microdissection (LCM) techniques followed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine if a change or abnormality in type II collagen and/or aggrecan gene expression may be involved in weakening the physis, a characteristic of the pathology. With these techniques, correlation of chondrocyte spatial location and gene expression can be made to provide greater insight into this pathology and a more complete understanding of growth plate biology in general. Results: Downregulation of both type II collagen and aggrecan was found in the growth plates of SCFE subjects when compared to age-matched controls. Expression levels for type II collagen mRNA of SCFE patients were less than 14% of their counterpart controls. SCFE aggrecan levels averaged only 26% of control expression. Conclusion: The significant decreases in type II collagen and aggrecan expression would drastically affect the quantity, distribution, and organization of both components in SCFE growth plates. Such abnormal changes may contribute to the cause of a slip although possibly they may be the result of a slip. This is the first study using novel LCM and RT-PCR to determine specific gene expression levels for two principal structural proteins comprising the growth plates of human subjects suffering SCFE

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common pediatric hip disorder. The most devastating complication is development of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. In order to reduce the potential for this complication occurring following delayed contralateral SCFE, there has been consideration in the literature of prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip. The objective of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of this treatment strategy. The outcome probabilities and utilities utilised in a decision analysis of prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip in SCFE, reported by Kocher et al, were used in this study. Costing data, reported in 2005 Canadian dollars, was obtained from our institution. Using this data, an economic evaluation was performed. The time horizon was four years, so as to follow the adolescents to skeletal maturity. Discounting was performed at 3% per year. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the effect of variation of the outcome probabilities and utilities. In all analyses, prophylactic pinning resulted in cost savings but lower utility, compared to the currently accepted strategy of observation of the contralateral hip. The results were most sensitive to an increase in the probability of a delayed contralateral SCFE to 27%. Using the base case analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $7856.12 per utility gained. Using the most sensitive probability of a delayed contralateral SCFE of 27%, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $27,252.92 per utility gained. The results of this study demonstrated overall cost savings with prophylactic treatment, however the utility was lower than the standard treatment of observation. For both the base case and sensitivity analysis, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was less than the accepted threshold of $50,000 per quality adjusted life year gained. It should be noted that the use of a four year time horizon excluded consideration of the costs related to total hip arthroplasty for the sequelae of AVN. A prospective, randomised controlled trial, with an accompanying economic evaluation, is required to definitively answer the question of the cost-effectiveness of this treatment. On the basis of this cost-effectiveness analysis, prophylactic pinning of the contralateral hip in SCFE cannot be recommended. A prospective, randomised controlled trial, with an accompanying economic evaluation, is required to definitively answer the question of the cost-effectiveness of this treatment

Background: Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is an important orthopaedic problem which emerges in early adolescence. Not clearly identified factors in the growth zone of proximal femur produce slip in which the femoral head remains in the acetabulum and femoral shaft rotates outwards and backwards. This occurs usually in one but occasionally in both hips. As we assumed that in Department of orthopaedic surgery in Ljubljana half of Slovenian adolescent population with SCFE was treated, we could calculate epidemiological data for SCFE for whole Slovenian population. Patients and Methods: In retrospectively study we analysed patients treated operatively at Department of orthopaedic surgery in Ljubljana between 1.1.1970 and 31.12.2006. The data about sex, age and side of the slips were collected. We calculated average age at occurance, ratio boys to girls, and predominance of left or right side. For determination of SCFE incidence in Slovenia, we used the attack rate method which is the sum of annual incidences of SCFE in age interval when the slips occur calculated for each one-year group. Results: There were 224 patients, 126 boys and 98 girls presenting with SCFE between 1970 and 2006 treated in Department of orthopaedic surgery in Ljubljana. The average age of boys was 12.9 and the age of girls 11.6 years (range: 8–16 years). On the average the age was 11.3 years. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis appeared more frequently on the left side (58%) than on the right side (31%). In 11% of cases the slips were bilateral. Incidence per 1000 adolescents extrapolated to Slovenian population (attack rate method) was 0,796 ‰ for boys, 0,667 ‰ for girls and 0,734 ‰ for entire endangered population. Yearly incidence of SCFE was thus 0,089 ‰ for boys and 0,073 ‰ for girls. Discussion: Epidemiological data for SCFE in Slovenia are comparable to those found in Sweden and is difficult to compare with other countries, where different statistical methods were used. Risk of getting SCFE in critical period for boys is 1:1265 and for girls: 1:1499. Risk for whole critical population is 1:1362. It is interesting that our study showed marked increase in the number of boys with SCFE in recent years. Boys to girls ratio has changed from 1:1 in years 1970 to 1994 (Zupanc in sod. 2002) to 1,29:1 in our study