Introduction. This study aims to determine how the acetabular version changes during the key developmental stage of adolescence, and what contributes to this change. In addition, we examined whether patient factors (BMI, activity levels) or the femoral-sided anatomy contribute to any observed changes. Patients/Materials & Methods. This prospective longitudinal cohort study included 19 volunteers (38 healthy hips). The participants underwent clinical examination (BMI, range of movement assessment), MRIs of both hips at recruitment and at follow-up (6 ± 2 years) and HSS Paediatric Functional Activity Brief Scale (Pedi-FABS) questionnaire. MRI scans were assessed at both time points to determine change of the tri-radiate cartilage complex (TCC), the acetabular anteversion, the degree of anterior, posterior, and superior femoral head coverage by the acetabulum, and anterior and antero-superior alpha angles. We investigated if the change in anteversion and sector angles was influenced by the BMI, range of movement measurements, the Pedi-FABS or the alpha angle measurements. Results. At the baseline MRI, all hips had a Grade I (open) TCC; the TCC was Grade III (closed) by follow-up MRI in all of the hips. The acetabular anteversion increased moving caudally further away from the roof for both time-points. The mean anteversion increased from 7.4° ± 3.8 to 12.2° ± 4 (p < 0.001). The increase in version occurred universally on the acetabulum but was greatest at the rostral ¼ of the acetabulum. The change in version did not correlate with any of the patient factors tested (p = 0.1–0.6). Discussion. The native acetabulum orientation changes around adolescence, with the version significantly increasing as a result of a reduction of the femoral head coverage anteriorly. Disturbance of this process would lead to pathology contributing to pincer or retroversion FAI. Conclusion. Further study of greater power is needed to provide further insight into association between version and patient factors

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of the osseous acetabular index (OAI) and cartilaginous acetabular index (CAI) using MRI. The OAI and CAI were measured on the coronal MR images of the hip in 81 children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), with a mean age of 19.6 months (3 to 70), and 241 normal control children with a mean age of 5.1 years (1 month to 12.5 years). Additionally the developmental patterns of the OAI and CAI in normal children were determined by age-based cross-sectional analysis.

Unlike the OAI, the normal CAI decreased rapidly from a mean of 10.17° (sd 1.60) to a mean of 8.25° (sd 1.90) within the first two years of life, and then remained constant at a mean of 8.04° (sd 1.65) until adolescence. Although no difference in OAI was found between the uninvolved hips in children with unilateral DDH and normal hips (p = 0.639), the CAI was significantly different between them both (p < 0.001). The normal CAI has fully formed at birth, and is maintained constantly throughout childhood. The CAI in the unaffected hips in children with unilateral DDH is also mildly dysplastic.

We studied the medium-term outcome of the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy in 52 patients (58 hips) with symptomatic developmental dysplasia of the hip and a mean age of 37.6 years (13 to 48).

The operations were performed between 1993 and 2005 by the senior author with a mean follow-up of 66.7 months (13 to 153). There were 42 women (47 hips) and ten men (11 hips). Of these patients, 24 (30 hips) had an osteotomy on the right side and 22 (28 hips) on the left. Six patients had bilateral operations. The clinical outcome was assessed using the modified Merle d’Aubigne scale, and pre- and post-operative radiological evaluation using the modified Tonnis osteoarthritis score, the centre-edge angle, the acetabular index, the status of Shenton’s line, and the cross-over sign.

The mean centre-edge angle and the acetabular index were 14° (2° to 34°) and 23.6° (0° to 40°) before operation, and 36.6° (16° to 72°) and 7.9° (0° to 28°) after, respectively (p < 0.001, analysis of variance (ANOVA)). Shenton’s line was intact in 23 hips (39.6%) before operation and in 48 hips (82.8%) after. The cross-over sign was present in 31 hips (53.4%) before and in three hips (5.2%) after operation (p < 0.001, ANOVA). The total Merle d’Aubigne clinical score improved from a mean of 12.6 (9 to 15) to 16.0 (12 to 18) points (p < 0.001, ANOVA). Only four hips required subsequent total hip replacement.

Our results indicate that the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy provides good symptomatic relief for patients with little to no arthritis (Tonnis type 0 or 1) with an underlying deformity that can be corrected to a position of a stable, congruent hip joint.