Aims. Using 90% of final height as a benchmark, we sought to develop a quick, quantitative and reproducible method of estimating skeletal maturity based on topographical changes in the distal femoral physis. Patients and Methods. Serial radiographs of the distal femoral physis three years prior to, during, and two years following the chronological age associated with 90% of final height were analyzed in 81 healthy children. The distance from the tip of the central peak of the distal femoral physis to a line drawn across the physis was normalized to the physeal width. Results. A total of 389 radiographs of the distal femur with corresponding Greulich and Pyle bone ages and known chronological ages were measured. Children reached 90% of final height at a mean age of 11.3 years (. sd. 0.8) for girls and 13.2 years (. sd. 0.6) for boys. Linear regression analysis showed higher correlation coefficent in predicting the true age at 90% of final height using chronological age + gender + central peak value (R. 2 . = 0.900) than chronological age + gender (R. 2.  = 0.879) and Greulich and Pyle bone age + gender (R. 2.  = 0.878). Conclusion. Chronological age + gender + central peak value provides more accurate prediction of 90% of final height compared with chronological age + gender and Greulich and Pyle bone age + gender. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2018;100-B:1106–11

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The gold standard for percutaneous Achilles tendon tenotomy during the Ponseti treatment for idiopathic clubfoot is a tenotomy with a No. 15 blade. This trial aims to establish the technique where the tenotomy is performed with a large-bore needle as noninferior to the gold standard.

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Perthes’ disease (PD) often results in femoral head deformity and leg length discrepancy (LLD). Our objective was to analyze femoral morphology in PD patients at skeletal maturity to assess where the LLD originates, and evaluate the effect of contralateral epiphysiodesis for length equalization on proximal and subtrochanteric femoral lengths.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology and treatment of Perthes’ disease of the hip.

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Guided growth has been used to treat coxa valga for cerebral palsy (CP) children. However, there has been no study on the optimal position of screw application. In this paper we have investigated the influence of screw position on the outcomes of guided growth.

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Open tibial fractures are limb-threatening injuries. While limb loss is rare in children, deep infection and nonunion rates of up to 15% and 8% are reported, respectively. We manage these injuries in a similar manner to those in adults, with a combined orthoplastic approach, often involving the use of vascularised free flaps. We report the orthopaedic and plastic surgical outcomes of a consecutive series of patients over a five-year period, which includes the largest cohort of free flaps for trauma in children to date.

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To monitor the performance of services for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in Northern Ireland and identify potential improvements to enhance quality of service and plan for the future.

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The aims of this study were to evaluate the abductor function in moderate and severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), comparing the results of a corrective osteotomy at the base of the femoral neck and osteoplasty with 1) in situ epiphysiodesis for mild SCFE, 2) contralateral unaffected hips, and 3) hips from healthy individuals.

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Displaced fractures of the lateral condyle of the humerus are frequently managed surgically with the aim of avoiding nonunion, malunion, disturbances of growth and later arthritis. The ideal method of fixation is however not known, and treatment varies between surgeons and hospitals. The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of two well-established forms of surgical treatment, Kirschner wire (K-wire) and screw fixation.

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Our aim was to investigate the predictive factors for the development of a rebound phenomenon after temporary hemiepiphysiodesis in children with genu valgum.

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There is increasing evidence that flexible flatfoot (FF) can lead to symptoms and impairment in health-related quality of life. As such we undertook an observational study investigating the aetiology of this condition, to help inform management. The hypothesis was that as well as increased body mass index (BMI) and increased flexibility of the lower limb, an absent anterior subtalar articulation would be associated with a flatter foot posture.

The recognition of hips at risk of displacement in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is a difficult problem for the orthopaedic surgeon. The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and head–shaft angle (HSA) are prognostic factors for hip displacement. However, reference values for HSA are lacking. This study describes and compares the development of HSA in normal hips and children with CP.

We selected 33 children from a retrospective cohort with unilateral developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) (five boys, 28 girls) and 50 children (35 boys, 15 girls) with CP with GMFCS levels II to V. HSA of normal developing hips was measured at the contralateral hip of unilateral DDH children (33 hips) and HSA of CP children was measured in both hips (100 hips). Measurements were taken from the radiographs of the children at age two, four and seven years. The normal hip HSA decreased by 2° per year (p < 0.001). In children with CP with GMFCS levels II and III HSA decreased by 0.6° (p = 0.046) and 0.9° (p = 0.049) per year, respectively. The HSA did not alter significantly in GMFCS levels IV and V.

Between the ages of two and eight years, the HSA decreases in normal hips and CP children with GMFCS level, II to III but does not change in GMFCS levels IV to V. As HSA has a prognostic value for hip displacement, these reference values may help the orthopaedic surgeon to predict future hip displacement in children with CP.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1291–5.

Pelvic obliquity is a common finding in adolescents with cerebral palsy, however, there is little agreement on its measurement or relationship with hip development at different gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) levels.

The purpose of this investigation was to study these issues in a large, population-based cohort of adolescents with cerebral palsy at transition into adult services.

The cohort were a subset of a three year birth cohort (n = 98, 65M: 33F, with a mean age of 18.8 years (14.8 to 23.63) at their last radiological review) with the common features of a migration percentage greater than 30% and a history of adductor release surgery.

Different radiological methods of measuring pelvic obliquity were investigated in 40 patients and the angle between the acetabular tear drops (ITDL) and the horizontal reference frame of the radiograph was found to be reliable, with good face validity. This was selected for further study in all 98 patients.

The median pelvic obliquity was 4° (interquartile range 2° to 8°). There was a strong correlation between hip morphology and the presence of pelvic obliquity (effect of ITDL on Sharpe’s angle in the higher hip; rho 7.20 (5% confidence interval 5.59 to 8.81, p < 0.001). This was particularly true in non-ambulant adolescents (GMFCS IV and V) with severe pelvic obliquity, but was also easily detectable and clinically relevant in ambulant adolescents with mild pelvic obliquity.

The identification of pelvic obliquity and its management deserves closer scrutiny in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1435–40.

This study was designed to provide normal reference values for the centre-edge angle of Wiberg in the Chinese population by measuring 1494 radiographs according to the criteria of Tönnis. The mean angle was 23.1° (4.7° to 46.4°) in childhood (four to nine years), increasing to 28.9° (6° to 48°) in adolescence (10 to 18 years) and reaching 32.8° (13.7° to 58.8°) in adults. The angle was positively correlated with age, increasing by a mean of 0.78° annually before adulthood and by 0.070° annually in adults. A relative upward tendency after middle age might contribute to degenerative changes. No gender difference was discovered. The change in the angle with age was similar to that observed in other ethnic groups, showing moderate differences in the average of individual age groups, but the ethnic differences are not sufficient to explain the variation of incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip in different races.

There is much debate about the nature and extent of deformities in the proximal femur in children with cerebral palsy. Most authorities accept that increased femoral anteversion is common, but its incidence, severity and clinical significance are less clear. Coxa valga is more controversial and many authorities state that it is a radiological artefact rather than a true deformity.

We measured femoral anteversion clinically and the neck-shaft angle radiologically in 292 children with cerebral palsy. This represented 78% of a large, population-based cohort of children with cerebral palsy which included all motor types, topographical distributions and functional levels as determined by the gross motor function classification system.

The mean femoral neck anteversion was 36.5° (11° to 67.5°) and the mean neck-shaft angle 147.5° (130° to 178°). These were both increased compared with values in normally developing children. The mean femoral neck anteversion was 30.4° (11° to 50°) at gross motor function classification system level I, 35.5° (8° to 65°) at level II and then plateaued at approximately 40.0° (25° to 67.5°) at levels III, IV and V. The mean neck-shaft angle increased in a step-wise manner from 135.9° (130° to 145°) at gross motor function classification system level I to 163.0° (151° to 178°) at level V. The migration percentage increased in a similar pattern and was closely related to femoral deformity.

Based on these findings we believe that displacement of the hip in patients with cerebral palsy can be explained mainly by the abnormal shape of the proximal femur, as a result of delayed walking, limited walking or inability to walk. This has clinical implications for the management of hip displacement in children with cerebral palsy.

Supracondylar humeral fractures are common in children, but there are no classification systems or radiological parameters that predict the likelihood of having to perform an open reduction. In a retrospective case–control study we evaluated the use of the medial spike angle and fracture tip–skin distance to predict the mode of reduction (closed or open) and the operating time in fractures with posterolateral displacement. A total of 21 patients (4.35%) with a small medial spike angle (< 45°) were identified from a total of 494 patients, and 42 patients with a medial spike angle of > 45° were randomly selected as controls. The medial spike group had significantly smaller fracture tip–skin distances (p < 0.001), longer operating times (p = 0.004) and more complications (p = 0.033) than the control group. There was no significant difference in the mode of reduction and a composite outcome measure. After adjustments for age and gender, only fracture tip–skin distance remained significantly associated with the operating time (β = -0.724, p = 0.042) and composite outcome (OR 0.863 (95% confidence interval 0.746 to 0.998); p = 0.048).

Paediatric orthopaedic surgeons should have a lower threshold for open reduction when treating patients with a small medial spike angle and a small fracture tip–skin distance.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1290–4.

A total of 25 children (37 legs and 51 segments) with coronal plane deformities around the knee were treated with the extraperiosteal application of a flexible two-hole plate and screws. The mean age was 11.6 years (5.5 to 14.9), the median angle of deformity treated was 8.3° and mean time for correction was 16.1 months (7 to 37.3). There was a mean rate of correction of 0.7° per month in the femur (0.3° to 1.5°), 0.5° per month in the tibia (0.1° to 0.9°) and 1.2° per month (0.1° to 2.2°) if femur and tibia were treated concurrently. Correction was faster if the child was under 10 years of age (p = 0.05). The patients were reviewed between six and 32 months after plate removal. One child had a rebound deformity but no permanent physeal tethers were encountered.

The guided growth technique, as performed using a flexible titanium plate, is simple and safe for treating periarticular deformities of the leg.