Treatment of Chronic Degenerative Hip Pain in a Male Patient With Cerebral Palsy Four Decades After Reverse Osteotomy

Patients with cerebral palsy (CP) frequently require surgical hip interventions in early adulthood due to spasticity-related gait abnormalities. In most instances, these cases are characterized by severe restrictions on mobility. This is the case of a male patient with CP who underwent right proximal femoral open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) and reverse osteotomy for right hip subluxation in young adulthood. Patients with CP who undergo total hip arthroplasty (THA) or ORIF with reverse osteotomy often require future revision. The patient was initially given an estimated 10-year longevity for his plate and screw construct (hardware). Forty-four years later, the patient presented with debilitating chronic bilateral hip pain, requiring the assistance of a cane for ambulation. There is a limited body of knowledge on ORIF and reverse osteotomy follow-up in patients with CP within a 30- to 50-year period. At the 44th-year follow-up, CT and X-ray imaging found postoperative changes in the right femur, including intact hardware, bilateral acetabular dysplasia, right femoral stress fracture, progression of hip arthritis, and right iliopsoas bursitis. Surgery for hardware revision was not indicated. Gradual restoration of function was achieved over a 14-month period with conservative management. This case suggests that physical therapy (PT), exercise, and sporadic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use are effective for improving chronic degenerative changes, associated bursitis, and loss of function in patients who developed CP-induced gait complications in young adulthood. These improvements can be made several decades after undergoing ORIF and osteotomies. This course of treatment was effective in improving the patient’s quality of life without additional surgical interventions.