OSTEOTOMY AT THE BASE OF FEMORAL NECK AND OSTEOPLASTY FOR THE TREAMENT OF SCFE

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical outcomes between patients with moderate and severe slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) treated with osteotomy at the base of neck and osteoplasty and with healthy individuals. METHODS: Comparative cohort with 12 patients (14 hips) with moderate and severe SCFE who underwent osteotomy at the base of neck and osteoplasty between 2007 and 2014. The mean age at surgery was 13.3 ± 2.5 years and the mean follow-up was 3.8 ± 2.2 years. We assessed the level of hip pain by the visual analog scale (VAS) and anterior impingement test (AIT); the level of function using the Harris Hip Score (HHS) and 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), the range of motion (ROM) by goniometry and Drehmann sign, and the hip muscular strength by isokinetic and Trendelenburg sign. RESULTS: The level of pain was slightly higher in the SCFE cohort compared with healthy hips (VAS, 0.8 ± 1.4 vs 0 ± 0, 0.007; AIT, 14% vs 0%, p = 0.06; respectively). No differences were observed between the SCFE and control cohort for the functional scores (HHS, 94 ± 7 vs 100 ± 1, p = 0.135); except for ROM, with increased internal rotation (37.3º ± 9.4º vs 28.7º ± 8.2º, p < 0.001), and strength, with decreased abduction torque (75.5 ± 36.9 Nm/Kg vs 88.5 ± 27.6 Nm/Kg, p = 0.045) in the SCFE cohort. CONCLUSION: The osteotomy at the base of neck and the osteoplasty restored the hip motion and muscle strength, except for the abductor strength, to near normal levels, representing a viable option for the treatment of moderate and severe SCFE. Level of Evidence III, Ambidirectional Cohort Study.