The Utility of False-Profile Radiographs for the Detection of Osteoarthritis Progression in Acetabular Dysplasia

BACKGROUND: Both the lateral center-edge angle and acetabular roof obliquity on anteroposterior radiographs are well-known prognostic predictors of osteoarthritis progression in patients with acetabular dysplasia. However, few studies have evaluated osteoarthritis progression on false-profile radiographs. In the present study, osteoarthritis progression was evaluated on anteroposterior and false-profile radiographs. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 76 patients with acetabular dysplasia with Tönnis grade-0 or 1 osteoarthritis, from a group of 179 patients (209 hips), who had undergone unilateral periacetabular osteotomy from 1995 to 2005. We evaluated the hip joint of the contralateral, untreated side. All patients were followed for ≥10 years. Of the 76 patients, 52 patients with Tönnis grade-0 or 1 osteoarthritis at the latest follow-up were categorized into the non-progression group and the remaining 24 patients with Tönnis grade-2 or 3 osteoarthritis were categorized into the progression group. We evaluated patient characteristics as well as radiographic parameters, including the preoperative lateral center-edge angle, acetabular roof obliquity, and anterior center-edge angle. RESULTS: The mean duration of follow-up was 12.6 years (range, 10 to 19 years). On univariate analysis, body weight, body mass index, and all radiographic parameters indicating the severity of acetabular dysplasia significantly differed between the 2 groups. On multivariate analysis, both the anterior center-edge angle and acetabular roof obliquity were considered to be significant predictive factors for osteoarthritis progression. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cutoff values for the lateral center-edge angle, acetabular roof obliquity, and anterior center-edge angle were 15.5°, 15.5°, and 12.5°, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the lateral center-edge angle and acetabular roof obliquity, we showed that the anterior center-edge angle is a possible prognostic predictor of osteoarthritis progression. These findings indicate that radiographic parameters based on the false-profile view are relevant. Additionally, patients with an anterior center-edge angle of ≤12.5° and a lateral center-edge angle of ≤15.5° seem to be at higher risk of osteoarthritis progression over a 10-year period. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.