Aims

We reviewed 34 consecutive patients (18 female-16 male) with isthmic spondylolysis and grade I to II lumbosacral spondylolisthesis who underwent in situ posterolateral arthodesis between the L5 transverse processes and the sacral ala with the use of iliac crest autograft. Ten patients had an associated scoliosis which required surgical correction at a later stage only in two patients with idiopathic curves unrelated to the spondylolisthesis.

Interest in football continues to increase, with ever younger age groups participating at a competitive level. Football academies have sprung up under the umbrella of professional clubs in an attempt to nurture and develop such talent in a safe manner. However, increased participation predisposes the immature skeleton to injury. Over a five-year period we have prospectively collected data concerning all injuries presenting to the medical team at Newcastle United football academy. We identified 685 injuries in our cohort of 210 players with a mean age of 13.5 years (9 to 18). The majority of injuries (542;79%) were to the lower limb. A total of 20 surgical procedures were performed. Contact injuries accounted for 31% (210) of all injuries and non-contact for 69% (475).The peaks of injury occurred in early September and March. The 15- and 16-year-old age group appeared most at risk, independent of hours of participation. Strategies to minimise injury may be applicable in both the academy setting and the wider general community.

Between June 1991 and January 1995, 42 hydroxyapatite-coated CAD-CAM femoral components were inserted in 25 patients with inflammatory polyarthropathy, 21 of whom had juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Their mean age was 21 years (11 to 35). All the patients were reviewed clinically and radiologically at one, three and five years. At the final review at a mean of 11.2 years (8 to 13) 37 hips in 23 patients were available for assessment.

A total of four femoral components (9.5%) had failed, of which two were radiologically loose and two were revised. The four failed components were in patients aged 16 years or less at the time of surgery. Hydroxyapatite-coated customised femoral components give excellent medium- to long-term results in skeletally-mature young adults with inflammatory polyarthropathy. Patients aged less than 16 years at the time of surgery have a risk of 28.5% of failure of the femoral component at approximately ten years.

We treated 26 hips (24 consecutive patients) with residual dysplasia by a technique of incomplete triple pelvic osteotomy. The mean age of the patients was 21.6 years.

The mean values for the pre-operative centre-edge angle of Wiberg, the refined centre-edge angle, the acetabular angle of Sharp, the modified acetabular angle and femoral head lateralisation were 7.7°, −3.1°, 49.3°, 53.2° and 17.2 mm, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 3.3 years they were 27.0°, 13.0°, 38.9°, 44.3° and 15.9 mm, respectively (p < 0.05). The osteoarthritic grading changed adversely in one hip. The mean pre-operative and latest Harris hip scores were 74.9 and 93.0, respectively (p < 0.05).

This technique provides a stable osteotomy with maintenance of the posterior column which allows early mobilisation and minimal internal fixation. The technique is not complex and requires minimal blood transfusion. The use of an image intensifier is not necessary and harvesting of a subcristal bone graft avoids post-operative complications at the donor site.

We studied the natural history of Perthes’ disease in 62 children in whom the onset of symptoms was in adolescence.

Three patterns of disease were noted, namely, late-onset pattern, segmental collapse, or destructive with failure of revascularisation. In the late-onset pattern, the disease followed the sequence of healing seen in younger children, but adequate epiphyseal remodelling did not occur. Consequently, the femoral head was never spherical after revascularisation. With segmental collapse, early and irreversible collapse of part of the epiphysis occurred with gross deformation of the femoral head. The destructive pattern was characterised by a failure of revascularisation and repair of the avascular epiphysis.

The radiological outcome was poor in all three patterns. The poorest clinical results were found in the destructive type which was frequently associated with incapacitating pain requiring arthrodesis or excision arthroplasty within three years of onset of the disease.

A retrospective study of 23 acetabular fractures in patients up to 17 years of age is presented, with an average follow-up of eight years. Good or excellent functional results were achieved in 21 patients; radiographic results were good or excellent in 16. Conservative treatment gave consistently good results in fractures with minimal initial displacement, stable posterior fracture-dislocations and Salter-Harris type 1 and 2 triradiate cartilage fractures. Less favourable results were seen in type 5 triradiate cartilage fractures and in comminuted fractures, but operation was no better. Unstable posterior fracture-dislocations and irreducible central fracture-dislocations need operative treatment but the results may still be unsatisfactory.

We have reviewed 16 patients with avulsion fractures of the tibial tubercle, mostly boys who sustained left-sided injuries during sport. Two-thirds had type I or II injuries and were treated conservatively. Fractures involving the knee joint (type III) had internal fixation. The final results were good except for minor complications such as a prominent and uncomfortable tibial tubercle.

Between June 2001 and November 2008 a modified Dunn osteotomy with a surgical hip dislocation was performed in 30 hips in 28 patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Complications and clinical and radiological outcomes after a mean follow-up of 3.8 years (1.0 to 8.5) were documented. Subjective outcome was assessed using the Harris hip score and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index questionnaire.

Anatomical or near-anatomical reduction was achieved in all cases. The epiphysis in one hip showed no perfusion intra-operatively and developed avascular necrosis. There was an excellent outcome in 28 hips. Failure of the implants with a need for revision surgery occurred in four hips.

Anatomical reduction can be achieved by this technique, with a low risk of avascular necrosis. Cautious follow-up is necessary in order to avoid implant failure.

We present a case of post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the radial head in a 13-year-old boy which was treated with costo-osteochondral grafts. A satisfactory outcome was seen at a follow-up of two years and ten months.

Although costo-osteochondral grafting has been used in the treatment of defects in articular cartilage, especially in the hand and the elbow, the extension of the technique to manage post-traumatic osteonecrosis of the radial head in a child has not previously been reported in the English language literature. Complete relief of pain was obtained and an improvement in the range of movement was observed. The long-term results remain uncertain.

We have studied 34 consecutive patients receiving Cotrel- Dubousset instrumentation for a single and flexible thoracic scoliotic curve, evaluating the rib hump deformity from a single CT scan through the apical vertebra of the curve. Using two measures of rotation we found a mean improvement of 25% in the rotation of the vertebra after operation. Any, usually minor, deterioration occurred in the first six months postoperatively, and there was no significant further deterioration in 19 patients assessed over two years after surgery. Cotrel-Dubousset instrumentation can produce a significant correction of vertebral rotation and of the associated rib hump deformity.

We report the outcome of 28 patients with spina bifida who between 1989 and 2006 underwent 43 lower extremity deformity corrections using the Ilizarov technique. The indications were a flexion deformity of the knee in 13 limbs, tibial rotational deformity in 11 and foot deformity in 19. The mean age at operation was 12.3 years (5.2 to 20.6). Patients had a mean of 1.6 previous operations (0 to 5) on the affected limb. The mean duration of treatment with a frame was 9.4 weeks (3 to 26) and the mean follow-up was 4.4 years (1 to 9). There were 12 problems (27.9%), five obstacles (11.6%) and 13 complications (30.2%) in the 43 procedures. Further operations were needed in seven patients. Three knees had significant recurrence of deformity. Two tibiae required further surgery for recurrence. All feet were plantigrade and braceable.

We conclude that the Ilizarov technique offers a refreshing approach to the complex lower-limb deformity in spina bifida.

We have investigated whether patients with adolescent-onset idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are more likely to have a low body-weight. Measurements of weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were made in 44 young women with AIS and compared with age- and gender-adjusted normative data. The body mass criteria of the International Classification of Diseases for eating disorders was used to determine how many patients were within the range considered to be ‘eating disordered’. Compared with the normative data, the AIS group did not differ significantly in terms of height, (p = 0.646), but they were significantly lighter (p < 0.001) and had significantly lower BMI scores (p < 0.001); 25% of the series had BMI scores which were within the range considered to be anorexic.

The relationship between a diagnosis of AIS and low body-weight may indicate disordered eating and is thus a cause for concern, particularly in the light of the well-established relationship between eating psychopathology and osteoporosis. Aspects of organic health may need to be considered in addition to the cosmetic deformity.

We diagnosed 50 patients (58 shoulders) with a mean age at presentation of 17.3 years, as having involuntary positional instability of the shoulder. They were managed by a programme consisting of a careful explanation, analysis of abnormal muscle couples and then muscle retraining carried out by a specialist physiotherapist. The mean follow-up was two years. Six shoulders had a poor result, but 52 were graded as good to excellent. Nine patients (12 shoulders) relapsed and required further episodes of retraining.

In our experience, involuntary positional instability of the shoulder causes symptoms which interfere with normal activities; these can be controlled by a treatment plan of retraining of the muscle pattern with functional benefit. Only 19 of the patients were referred with a diagnosis of positional instability. There should be more awareness of this rather uncommon condition. Surgery is not indicated in these patients.

Costoplasty can reduce the important cosmetic deformity of rib prominence in scoliosis but there are few objective reports of correction. We recorded the results of three objective methods of assessing back shape before and after short-segment costoplasty in 55 patients. We showed that significant improvement was maintained over a two-year follow-up period. Primary costoplasty at the time of scoliosis surgery (n = 35) achieved greater proportional correction than secondary costoplasty performed after fusion of the spine (n = 20). The rib segments removed at primary surgery provided enough bone for the autogenous graft; harvesting from the pelvis was unnecessary. We report a new classification of rib morphology which helps in planning the site and extent of costoplasty, and in predicting the possible correction.