In 11 paediatric patients (seven girls and four boys, from 12 to 15 years old) with unilateral obligatory patellar dislocation and ligamentous laxity vastus medialis advancement, lateral release, partial patellar ligament transposition and Galeazzi semitendinosus tenodesis was undertaken to stabilise the patella. The diagnostic criterion for ligamentous laxity was based on the Beighton scale. Outcomes were evaluated radiologically and functionally by measurement of the range of knee movement and isokinetic testing. The evaluation also included the Lysholm knee scale. Follow-up studies took place at a mean of 8.1 years (5 to 15) post-operatively. Normal patellar tracking without any recurrence of dislocation was obtained in ten out of 11 patients. Pain related to vigorous activity was reported by nine patients. Compared with the opposite normal side, the isokinetic tests revealed a statistically significant decrease in the maximal torque values for the affected quadriceps muscle (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004), but no difference between the knee flexors (for angular velocities of 60°/s and 180°/s) (p = 0.858 and p = 0.79). The applied surgical technique generally prevents the recurrence of the disorder in children with habitual patellar dislocation and ligamentous laxity. Quadriceps muscle weakness can be expected to occur post-operatively,. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;96-B:129–33

Aims

Guided growth using eight-plates is commonly used for correction of angular limb deformities in growing children. The principle is of tethering at the physeal periphery while enabling growth in the rest of the physis. The method is also applied for epiphysiodesis to correct limb-length discrepancy (LLD). Concerns have been raised regarding the potential of this method to create an epiphyseal deformity. However, this has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to detect and quantify the occurrence of deformities in the proximal tibial epiphysis following treatment with eight-plates.

Aims

A clicky hip is a common referral for clinical and sonographic screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). There is controversy regarding whether it represents a true risk factor for pathological DDH. Therefore a 20-year prospective, longitudinal, observational study was undertaken to assess the relationship between the presence of a neonatal clicky hip and pathological DDH.

Aims

We present the clinical and radiographic outcome of 81 children with Gartland type I to III supracondylar humeral fractures at a minimum follow-up of ten years (mean 12.1 years; 10.3 to 16.1) following injury.

Recent reports have suggested an increase in the number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in children, although their true incidence is unknown.

The prognosis of the ACL-deficient knee in young active individuals is poor because of secondary meniscal tears, persistent instability and early-onset osteoarthritis. The aim of surgical reconstruction is to provide stability while avoiding physeal injury. Techniques of reconstruction include transphyseal, extraphyseal or partial physeal sparing procedures.

In this paper we review the management of ACL tears in skeletally immature patients.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1562–9.

Over a 15-year prospective period, 201 infants with a clinically unstable hip at neonatal screening were subsequently reviewed in a ‘one stop’ clinic where they were assessed clinically and sonographically. Their mean age was 1.62 weeks (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35 to 1.89). Clinical neonatal hip screening revealed a sensitivity of 62% (mean, 62.6 95%CI 50.9 to 74.3), specificity of 99.8% (mean, 99.8, 95% CI 99.7 to 99.8) and positive predictive value (PPV) of 24% (mean, 26.2, 95% CI 19.3 to 33.0). Static and dynamic sonography for Graf type IV dysplastic hips had a 15-year sensitivity of 77% (mean, 75.8 95% CI 66.9 to 84.6), specificity of 99.8% (mean, 99.8, 95% CI 99.8 to 99.8) and a PPV of 49% (mean, 55.1, 95% CI 41.6 to 68.5). There were 36 infants with an irreducible dislocation of the hip (0.57 per 1000 live births), including six that failed to resolve with neonatal splintage.

Most clinically unstable hips referred to a specialist clinic are female and stabilise spontaneously. Most irreducible dislocations are not identified from this neonatal instability group. There may be a small subgroup of females with instability of the hip which may be at risk of progression to irreducibility despite early treatment in a Pavlik harness.

A controlled study is required to assess the value of neonatal clinical screening programmes.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:265-9.

Our goal was to evaluate the use of Ponseti’s method, with minor adaptations, in the treatment of idiopathic clubfeet presenting in children between five and ten years of age. A retrospective review was performed in 36 children (55 feet) with a mean age of 7.4 years (5 to 10), supplemented by digital images and video recordings of gait. There were 19 males and 17 females. The mean follow-up was 31.5 months (24 to 40). The mean number of casts was 9.5 (6 to 11), and all children required surgery, including a percutaneous tenotomy or open tendo Achillis lengthening (49%), posterior release (34.5%), posterior medial soft-tissue release (14.5%), or soft-tissue release combined with an osteotomy (2%). The mean dorsiflexion of the ankle was 9° (0° to 15°). Forefoot alignment was neutral in 28 feet (51%) or adducted (< 10°) in 20 feet (36%), > 10° in seven feet (13%). Hindfoot alignment was neutral or mild valgus in 26 feet (47%), mild varus (< 10°) in 19 feet (35%), and varus (> 10°) in ten feet (18%). Heel–toe gait was present in 38 feet (86%), and 12 (28%) exhibited weight-bearing on the lateral border (out of a total of 44 feet with gait videos available for analysis). Overt relapse was identified in nine feet (16%, six children). The parents of 27 children (75%) were completely satisfied.

A plantigrade foot was achieved in 46 feet (84%) without an extensive soft-tissue release or bony procedure, although under-correction was common, and longer-term follow-up will be required to assess the outcome.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1721–5.

In Norway total joint replacement after hip dysplasia is reported more commonly than in neighbouring countries, implying a higher prevalence of the condition. We report on the prevalence of radiological features associated with hip dysplasia in a population of 2081 19-year-old Norwegians. The radiological measurements used to define hip dysplasia were Wiberg’s centre-edge (CE) angle at thresholds of < 20° and < 25°, femoral head extrusion index <  75%, Sharp’s angle > 45°, an acetabular depth to width ratio < 250 and the sourcil shape assessed subjectively. The whole cohort underwent clinical examination of their range of hip movement, body mass index (BMI), and Beighton hypermobility score, and were asked to complete the EuroQol (EQ-5D) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). The prevalence of hip dysplasia in the cohort varied from 1.7% to 20% depending on the radiological marker used. A Wiberg’s CE angle <  20° was seen in 3.3% of the cohort: 4.3% in women and 2.4% in men. We found no association between subjects with multiple radiological signs indicative of dysplasia and BMI, Beighton score, EQ-5D or WOMAC. Although there appears to be a high prevalence of hip dysplasia among 19-year-old Norwegians, this is dependent on the radiological parameters applied.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:279–85.

This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship between developmental dysplasia of the hip and mode of delivery in 571 consecutive breech infants using a modified Graf’s static morphological method to grade the severity of dysplasia.

In this group, 262 infants were born by planned Caesarian section, 223 by emergency section and 86 vaginally. Taking all grades of hip dysplasia into account (Graf types II, III and IV), there was no statistical difference in the incidence of dysplasia between the groups (elective section 8.4%, emergency section 8.1% and vaginal delivery 7.0%). However, when cases with Graf type II dysplasia, which may represent physiological immaturity, were excluded, the rate of type III and IV hips, which we consider to be clinically relevant, increased in the vaginally delivered group (4.7%) compared with the elective section group (1.1%), with a relative risk of approximately 1:4 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 15.91). No difference was observed between the emergency and elective section groups, or between the emergency section and vaginally delivered groups.

This study supports previous published work, with the added value that the diagnoses were all confirmed by ultrasound.

In 1937 Blount described a series of 28 patients with ‘Tibia vara’. Since then, a number of deformities in the tibia and the femur have been described in association with this condition.

We analysed 14 children with Blount’s disease who were entered into a cross-sectional study. Their mean age was 10 (2 to 18). They underwent a clinical assessment of the rotational profile of their legs and a CT assessment of the angle of anteversion of their hips (femoral version). We compared our results to previously published controls. A statistically significant increase in femoral anteversion was noted in the affected legs, with on average the femurs in patients with Blount’s disease being 26° more anteverted than those in previously published controls.

We believe this to be a previously unrecognised component of Blount’s disease, and that the marked intoeing seen in the disease may be partly caused by internal femoral version, in addition to the well-recognised internal tibial version.

Extensive limb lengthening may be indicated in achondroplastic patients who wish to achieve a height within the normal range for their population. However, increasing the magnitude of lengthening is associated with further complications particularly adjacent joint stiffness and fractures. We studied the relationship between the magnitude of femoral lengthening and callus pattern, adjacent joint stiffness and fracture of the regenerate bone in 40 femoral lengthenings in 20 achondroplastic patients. They were divided into two groups; group A had lengthening of less than 50% and group B of more than 50% of their initial femoral length. The patterns of radiological callus formation were classified according to shape, type and features. The incidence of callus features, knee stiffness and regenerate bone fracture were analysed in the two groups. Group B was associated with an increased incidence of concave, lateral and central callus shapes, adjacent joint and stiffness and fracture. Statistically, the incidence of stiffness in adjacent joints and regenerate bone fracture was significantly associated with the magnitude of lengthening.

We suggest that careful radiological assessment of the patterns of callus formation is a useful method for the evaluation and monitoring of regenerate bone.

The medial rotation contracture caused by weak external rotation secondary to obstetric brachial plexus injury leads to deformation of the bones of the shoulder. Scapular hypoplasia, elevation and rotation deformity are accompanied by progressive dislocation of the humeral head. Between February and August 2005, 44 children underwent a new surgical procedure called the ‘triangle tilt’ operation to correct this bony shoulder deformity. Surgical levelling of the distal acromioclavicular triangle combined with tightening of the posterior glenohumeral capsule (capsulorrhaphy) improved shoulder function and corrected the glenohumeral axis in these patients. The posture of the arm at rest was improved and active external rotation increased by a mean of 53° (0° to 115°) in the 40 children who were followed up for more than one year.

There was a mean improvement of 4.9 points (1.7 to 8.3) of the Mallet shoulder function score after surgical correction of the bony deformity.

We wished to establish whether delivery by Caesarean section influenced the incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip in term breech infants compared with those delivered vaginally. We used maternal charts, singleton term breech presentation, mode of delivery and incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip for births between January 1997 and October 2002.

During the study period 46 089 infants were born. We analysed a total of 941 breech infants of whom 756 were delivered by Caesarean section (515 pre-labour, 241 intrapartum) and 185 vaginally. The incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip according to the mode of delivery was 19 of 515 (3.69%) following pre-labour Caesarean section, 16 of 241 (6.64%) for intrapartum Caesarean section and 15 of 185 (8.11%) after vaginal delivery. There was a lower incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip among those infants delivered by elective Caesarean section compared with those delivered vaginally (p < 0.02). These results demonstrate a significantly lower incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip in term singleton breech births delivered by elective, pre-labour Caesarean section and suggest that labour and delivery influence hip stability in predisposed infants.

We treated eight dysplastic acetabula in six skeletally mature patients with Down’s syndrome by a modified Bernese periacetabular osteotomy. The mean age at the time of surgery was 16.5 years (12.8 to 28.5). Mean length of follow-up was five years (2 to 10.4).

Pre-operatively the mean (Tönnis) acetabular angle was 28°, the centre-edge angle was −9°, and the extrusion index was 60%; post-operatively they were 3°, 37°, and 17%, respectively. Two patients with post-operative (Tönnis) acetabular angles > 10° developed subluxation post-operatively and required secondary varus derotation femoral osteotomies. Another patient developed a late labral tear which was treated arthroscopically. All eight hips remain clinically stable, and are either asymptomatic or symptomatically improved.

These results suggest that the modified Bernese periacetabular osteotomy can be used successfully in the treatment of acetabular dysplasia in patients with Down’s syndrome.

We reviewed the evidence for hip surveillance in children with cerebral palsy from the published literature.

Publications were identified using the Cochrane controlled trials register, the MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases and by hand searching key journals and their references. Studies were included if they reported the frequency, associated risk factors or surveillance measures undertaken to identify subluxation or dislocation of the hip in children with cerebral palsy. Assessment of the quality of the methodology was undertaken independently by two researchers.

Four studies described the natural history, incidence and risk factors for dislocation of the hip. Two reported their surveillance results. Approximately 60% of children who were not walking by five years of age were likely to develop subluxation of the hip, with the greatest risk in those with severe neurological involvement. The introduction of surveillance programmes allowed earlier identification of subluxation and reduced the need for surgery on dislocated hips.

Surveillance can identify children most at risk of subluxation using radiological methods which are widely available.

We reviewed 15 patients, nine girls and six boys, with chronic anterior dislocation of the radial head which was treated by ulnar osteotomy, external fixation and open reconstruction of the elbow joint but without repair of the annular ligament. Their mean age was 9.5 years (5 to 15) and the mean interval between the injury and reconstruction was 22 months (2 months to 7 years).

All radial heads remained reduced at a mean follow-up of 20 months (6 months to 5 years). Normal ranges of movement for flexion, extension, pronation and supination were unchanged in 96.1% (49/51) and worse in 3.9% (2/51). Limited ranges of movement were improved in 77.8% (7/9), unchanged in 11% (1/9) and further decreased in 11% (1/9).There were two superficial pin-track infections and two cases of delayed union but with no serious complications. Reconstruction of the radiocapitellar joint is easier using external fixation since accurate correction of the ulna can be determined empirically and active functional exercises started immediately. Only patients with a radial head of normal shape were selected for treatment by this method.