Total hip arthroplasty combined with subtrochanteric shortening osteotomy for Crowe type IV hip dysplasia in dwarfism: a case report

Dwarfism is a condition of extreme short stature. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with dwarfism is a very demanding procedure due to their specific joint deformity and small bone size, which increases the technical difficulty of the THA procedure in such patients with hip dysplasia. This current case report describes a 29-year-old female patient that was admitted due to shortening of the right lower limb, as compared with the contralateral side, which had been present for 18 years. She also complained of pain in the right hip that had been present for 2 months. The hip pain was aggravated by physical exertion, but relieved by rest. She had pituitary dwarfism without mental retardation or delayed sexual development and Crowe type IV dysplasia of the right hip. A THA combined with femoral shortening osteotomy was undertaken, which resolved the pain symptoms and improved her ability to undertake activities of daily living such as walking without pain. Dwarfism with hip dysplasia is a rare but extremely challenging problem that can be successfully treated with THA combined with femoral shortening osteotomy using an S-ROM stem.