In order to clarify how intra-articular lesions
influence the survival of a periacetabular osteotomy in patients
with dysplasia of the hip, we performed an observational study of
121 patients (121 hips) who underwent a transposition osteotomy
of the acetabulum combined with an arthroscopy. Their mean age was
40.2 years (13 to 64) and the mean follow-up was 9.9 years (2 to
18). Labral and cartilage degeneration tended to originate from
the anterosuperior part of the acetabulum, followed by the femoral
side. In all, eight hips (6.6%) had post-operative progression to
Kellgren–Lawrence grade 4 changes, and these hips were associated
with the following factors: moderate osteoarthritis, decreased width
of the joint space, joint incongruity, and advanced intra-articular
lesions (subchondral bone exposure in the cartilage and a full-thickness
labral tear). Multivariate analysis indicated subchondral bone exposure
on the femoral head as an independent risk factor for progression
of osteoarthritis (p = 0.003). In hips with early stage osteoarthritis,
femoral subchondral bone exposure was a risk factor for progression of
the grade of osteoarthritis. Although the outcome of transposition osteotomy of the acetabulum
was satisfactory, post-operative progression of osteoarthritis occurred
at a high rate in hips with advanced intra-articular lesions, particularly
in those where the degenerative process had reached the point of
femoral subchondral bone exposure.
A total of 47 non-walking patients (52 hips) with severe cerebral palsy and with a mean age of 14 years, (9 to 27) underwent a Dega-type pelvic osteotomy after closure of the triradiate cartilage, together with a derotation varus-shortening femoral osteotomy and soft-tissue correction for hip displacement which caused pain and/or difficulties in sitting. The mean follow-up was 48 months (12 to 153). The migration percentage improved from a pre-operative mean of 70% (26% to 100%) to 10% (0% to 100%) post-operatively. In five hips the post-operative migration percentage was greater than 25%, which was associated with continuing pain in two patients. Three patients had persistent hip pain and a migration percentage less than 25%. In five hips a fracture through the acetabulum occurred, and in another there was avascular necrosis of the superior acetabular segment, but these had no adverse effect on functional outcome. We conclude that it is possible to perform a satisfactory pelvic osteotomy of this type in these patients after the triradiate cartilage has been closed.
Intertrochanteric osteotomy may postpone the need for total hip replacement (THR). In young patients with an acquired deformity of the femoral head and secondary osteoarthritis, a valgus intertrochanteric osteotomy may allow better congruency but the acetabular cover may become insufficient because of subluxation of the femoral head. In patients with a spherical femoral head and acetabular dysplasia, cover can still remain insufficient after varus displacement osteotomy. We present the long-term results of intertrochanteric osteotomy combined with an acetabular shelfplasty in both these circumstances. Sixteen hips (15 patients) with a deformed femoral head, and ten (seven patients) with a spherical femoral head, underwent an intertrochanteric osteotomy and acetabular shelfplasty. The mean age at the time of surgery was 30 and 37 years and the mean final follow-up was 15 and 19 years, respectively. Six patients in the deformed group, but only one in the spherical group, had required a THR by the time of their final follow-up. In both groups, those who had not undergone a THR had a good result. Acetabular shelfplasty is an excellent addition to an intertrochanteric osteotomy and gives full cover of the femoral head in patients with a deformity of the head and secondary osteoarthritis.
Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) causes pain
and chondrolabral damage via mechanical overload during movement
of the hip. It is caused by many different types of pathoanatomy,
including the cam ‘bump’, decreased head–neck offset, acetabular
retroversion, global acetabular overcoverage, prominent anterior–inferior
iliac spine, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and the sequelae
of childhood Perthes’ disease. Both evolutionary and developmental factors may cause FAI. Prevalence
studies show that anatomic variations that cause FAI are common
in the asymptomatic population. Young athletes may be predisposed
to FAI because of the stress on the physis during development. Other
factors, including the soft tissues, may also influence symptoms and
chondrolabral damage. FAI and the resultant chondrolabral pathology are often treated
arthroscopically. Although the results are favourable, morphologies
can be complex, patient expectations are high and the surgery is
challenging. The long-term outcomes of hip arthroscopy are still
forthcoming and it is unknown if treatment of FAI will prevent arthrosis.