Introduction: The Pavlik harness is a commonly used treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) of types IIc or worse, based on the Graf classification. This study aimed to assess the long-term follow-up outcomes after treating DDH with the Pavlik harness. Methods: Between 1995 and 2006, ultrasound screening was conducted on 7372 newborns within the first days of life. Among them, 203 dysplastic hips in 152 patients, whose sonograms were Graf type IIc or worse, were treated with Pavlik harness. Treatment was discontinued if the measurement indicated Graf type Ia/b. More than 20 years later (mean: 20.46 y), patients were invited for clinical evaluation (Oxford Hips Score, Schulthess Hip Score, Harris Hip Score) and radiologic examination (center-edge angle according to Wiberg and the Severis classification, the rate of roofing of the femoral head via the Reimers migration percentage, and the Sharp angle). Results: Of the 152 patients, 60 (39.5%) participants with 80 (39.4%) affected hips (57.7% type IIc, 7.9% type D, and 15.6% type IIIa/b) were reexamined. The average follow-up duration was 20.5 years, with a maximum of 25.9 years. According to the Severin’s classification, only 2 (3.77%) patients, each with one affected hip, showed slight residual dysplasia. The Reimer’s migration percentage indicated an average of almost 90% canopy cover in the patient collective studied. No avascular necrosis was found, and the Sharp angle showed an average of almost 38 degrees. Only 4 participants with each one affected hip showed residual dysplasia according to the Sharp angle. The clinical results were quite satisfying, as none of the patients experienced hip pain that significantly limited their everyday activities or sports engagement, requiring medical attention before this study. Conclusions: Conservative therapy of DDH (Graf type IIc, D, III) with the Pavlik harness has demonstrated very good therapeutic success and a very low rate of residual dysplasia (2.81%). Both the radiologic and clinical outcomes were highly satisfactory. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

Background: Surgical hip joint reconstruction may be the method of choice for children and adolescents with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), as well as neurogenic dislocation of the hip (NDH) and Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD). Following pelvic surgery, immobilization using a spica cast is considered to be the gold standard, despite the fact that casting may cause complications, such as hygienic problems, skin lesions, neurological deficits, and rigidity of the adjacent joints. An alternative for postoperative immobilization is a foam splint. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to compare spica cast and foam splint immobilization after hip reconstruction in children and adolescents with DDH, NDH, and LCPD. Methods: In a prospective randomized clinical trial, children and adolescents (age: 4–14 years), who received hip reconstructive surgery (osteotomy of the ilium and proximal femur, open reduction, soft tissue techniques) for DDH, NDH, and LCPD were included. Patient recruitment, group allocation, surgery, and aftercare were carried out in a department for orthopaedic surgery in Central Europe. Standardized questionnaires SF-36 (Short Form-36), EQ-5D (Euro Quality of Life 5D and CPCHILD (Caregiver Priorities and Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities) were gathered before, six, and twelve weeks after surgery from each patient. Group one received a spica cast and group two a foam splint for a period of six weeks postoperatively. There was no difference in surgical treatment. Results: Twenty-one out of thirty planned patients were enrolled in the study. One patient had to be excluded because of a lack of compliance. All quality of life (QOL) scores showed a significant reduction at the 6-week follow-up compared to the preoperative assessment. After twelve weeks, the scores came back close to the preoperative values. A significant reduction was seen in the spica cast group pre- vs. postoperatively for the variables CPCHILD (81% vs. 64%, p = 0.001), EQ-5d (65% vs. 45%, p = 0.014), and SF-36 (85% vs. 74%, p = 0.004). The corresponding values for the foam splint group also presented a reduction for all scores, but without statistical significance. Complications occurred in five cases. Conclusions: Recent retrospective studies suggest that foam splint immobilization after hip reconstruction surgery is a safe and feasible method, promising fewer complications compared to spica casting. The preliminary results of this prospective randomized clinical trial show an improvement of the scores when using a foam splint compared to the conventionally used spica cast. Benefits for the patients may be fewer adverse events and no need to undergo a second round of anaesthesia for recasting. Data suggest higher patient and caretaker satisfaction in the foam splint group.

Background and Objectives: Due to inferior survival rates compared to hip and knee arthroplasty, total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) was previously mainly recommended for older and less active patients. However, given the encouraging survival rates and clinical outcomes of modern generations of TAA, some authors have also advocated TAA in young patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate age related reoperation, revision and survival rates of third-generation mobile-bearing TAAs. Materials andMethods: In this retrospective study, 224 consecutive TAA patients with a minimum follow up (FU) of 2 years were analyzed. Patients were retrospectively assigned to two study groups (Group A: age < 50 years; Group B: age ≥ 50 years). Revision was defined as secondary surgery with prothesis component removal, while reoperation was defined as a non-revisional secondary surgery involving the ankle. Results: After a mean FU of 7.1 ± 3.2 years, the reoperation rate (Group A: 22.2%; Group B: 5.3%; p = 0.003) and revision rate (Group A: 36.1%; Group B: 13.8%; p = 0.003) were higher within Group A. An age of under 50 years at time of surgery was associated with higher reoperation (odds ratio (OR): 6.54 (95% CI: 1.96–21.8); p = 0.002) and revision rates (OR: 3.13 (95% CI: 1.22–8.04); p = 0.018). Overall, lower patient age was associated with higher reoperation (p = 0.009) and revision rates (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The ideal indication for TAA remains controversial, especially regarding patient age. The findings of this study show high reoperation and revision rates in patients aged under 50 years at time of surgery. Therefore, the outcomes of this study suggest that the indication for TAA in young patients should be considered very carefully and that the association between low patient age and high reoperation rate should be disclosed to all eligible patients.

Background and Objectives: Reconstruction of the pelvic joint is a common way to address developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), as well as neurogenic dislocation of the hip (NDH) and Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) in children. The purpose of this study was to analyze the short-term radiologic outcome after hip reconstructive surgery either treated with sole osteotomy of the femur or in combination with iliac osteotomy in patients with DDH, NDH and LCPD. Materials and Methods: X-rays of 73 children, aged 2–18 years, with DDH, NDH and LCPD after hip reconstructive surgery were measured retrospectively and compared to the preoperative x-rays concerning various parameters to define hip geometry. The surgical procedures were femoral osteotomy (74), Salter innominate osteotomy (27), Pemberton osteotomy (27), open reduction (37), Chiari osteotomy (4). The pre-/postoperative acetabular index (AI), center-edge angle (CE) and Reimers migration index (RMI) were evaluated before and 3 months after surgery. Results: Hip geometry parameters improved significantly (RMI: preop/postop: 62.23% ± 31.63%/6.30% ± 11.51%, p < 0.001; CE: 11.53° ± 20.16°/30.58 ± 8.81°, p < 0.001; AI: 28.67° ± 9.2°/19.17 ± 7.65°, p < 0.001). Sub-group analysis showed a superior RMI in DDH compared with NDH 3 months after surgery (DDH/NDH: 2.77% ± 6.9%/12.94% ± 13.5%; p = 0.011). Osteotomy of the iliac bone (Salter innominate, Pemberton, Chiari) resulted in a significant improvement of the postoperative RMI compared to cases without osteotomy of the ilium (7.02 ± 11.1% vs. 16.85 ± 4.71%; p = 0.035). Conclusions: Femoral and pelvic osteotomies are effective to improve the radiological pelvic parameters in infants and adolescents with DDH, NDH and LCPD. In addition, the study found that the combination of femoral and pelvic osteotomy led to a better RMI than femoral osteotomy alone. Using the combined ilium and femoral osteotomy, it was possible to show the highest effect on correction of the hip geometry with respect to residual RMI.

Introduction: The present study investigates the five-year outcomes of hip arthroscopy for cam or pincer-type femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and associated labral tears in a defined patient population. Methods: Patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for cam or pincer-type arthroscopy femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and labral tears at our hospital in the past five years were included. All patients who underwent revision—like a total hip arthroplasty (THA), a subsequent hip arthroscopy at another hospital, or had primary osseous diseases—were excluded. Patients were contacted via mail and asked to answer a clinical questionnaire called the “Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Score” (HOOS) and to indicate whether there was a second surgery like a subsequent arthroscopy or THA. Results: There were 77 hip arthroscopies in 75 patients the last 5 years. A total of 29 patients responded. Those who did not respond were contacted via phone. All in all, we obtained the results of 49 patients (50 hips—29 right, 19 left, and 1 bilateral) who underwent hip arthroscopy over the past five years. The mean age at the time of operation was 41 years. Our results were as follows: 24 hips had an isolated labral tear, 49 hips a combined FAI pathology with cam and/or pincer-type impingement and labral tears, 3 patients had a posttraumatic FAI, and 1 patient suffered from hip chondromatosis, who was subsequently excluded; further, 22 patients (23 procedures) were lost to follow-up. HOOS contains various subscales; only the postoperative result of subscale 1 (symptoms) did not show a statistically significant improvement compared with the preoperative value. All other subscales showed a statistically significant improvement in comparison with the preoperative condition. Five patients (10.2%) still experienced symptoms, so we performed a total hip arthroplasty (THA) as a second surgical procedure. One patient was revised due to chondromatosis. One patient was revised at another center, and another was excluded because of chondromatosis. Conclusions: The five-year follow-up results of hip arthroscopy proved successful outcomes. Hip arthroscopy is an effective treatment for FAI in order to delay primary THA, regaining mobility and range of motion and reducing pain. Longer-term studies with a larger cohort are necessary.

Hip joint reconstruction is often necessary for children and adolescents with conditions like developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), neurogenic dislocation of the hip (NDH), or Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) when non-surgical treatments are ineffective. Background: Post-operative immobilization after hip reconstruction in children is crucial to promote proper healing and reduce the risk of complications. While spica casting has been the traditional method, it can lead to various issues. Foam splinting has emerged as an alternative approach. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and satisfaction of the patient and the caregivers of spica casting and foam splinting after pelvic osteotomies in young patients with DDH, NDH, and LCPD. Methods: A prospective randomized clinical trial included patients aged 3 to 16 undergoing pelvic reconstruction (iliac and proximal femoral osteotomy, open reduction, and soft tissue procedures). Participants were randomized into two groups: one receiving spica casts and the other foam splints, both for a six-week period post-surgery. Quality of life (QOL) assessments like CPCHILD, SF-36, and EQ-5D were conducted using various scores to measure patient and caregiver satisfaction preoperative and at six and twelve weeks postoperative. The surgical techniques were consistent across both groups. Results: The study included 34 patients, with one excluded due to non-adherence. The spica cast group experienced statistically significant declines in QOL scores, while the foam splint group showed decreases that were not statistically significant. Complications were reported in 11 patients, with a higher prevalence in the spica cast group. Conclusions: The foam splint group demonstrated superior satisfaction levels and fewer complications, which leads to the conclusion that foam splinting should be the preferred option to spica casting for post-operative immobilization in these cases.