Incomplete periacetabular acetabuloplasty

Abstract

Background Residual acetabular dysplasia is one of the most common complications after treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip. The acetabular growth response after reduction of a dislocated hip varies. The options are to wait and add a redirectional osteotomy as a secondary procedure at an older age, or to perform a primary acetabuloplasty at the time of the open reduction to stimulate acetabular development. We present the early results of such a procedure—open reduction and an incomplete periacetabular acetabuloplasty—as a one-stop procedure for developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Patients and methods We retrospectively reviewed the results obtained with 55 hips (in 48 patients, 43 of them girls) treated between September 2004 and February 2011. This cohort included late presentations and failures of nonoperative treatment and excluded unsuccessful previous surgical treatment (including closed reductions), neuromuscular disease, and other teratological conditions. Patients were treated once the ossific nucleus was present or when they reached one year of age. 31 cases were late presentations while 17 represented failures of nonoperative treatment. The mean age of the patients at surgery was 1.3 (0.6–2.6) years. The mean follow-up period was 4 (2–8) years. According to the IHDI classification, 1 was grade I, 9 were grade II, 13 were grade III, and 32 were grade IV.

Results The mean acetabular index fell from 38 (23–49) preoperatively to 21 (10–27) at the last follow-up. There were no infections, nerve palsies, or graft extrusions. None of the cases required secondary surgery for residual acetabular dysplasia. 8 patients developed avascular necrosis (AVN) of grade II or more. The incidence of AVN was significantly associated with previous, failed nonoperative treatment. 1 patient developed coxa magna requiring shelf arthroplasty 4 years after the index procedure and 1 patient with lateral growth arrest required medial screw epiphysiodesis.

Interpretation This incomplete periacetabular acetabuloplasty is a reliable adjunct to open reductions, and it is followed by a rapid acetabular growth response that avoids secondary pelvic procedures. It is a one-stop surgery with predictable outcome that can be performed in 0.5- to 2.5-year-old children.

BC: data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript preparation. SAH and KW: blinded data collection from radiographs. JP: data collection. NC: senior author.

We thank Mrs Debbie Collins for her assistance in preparation of the manuscript.

No competing interests declared.