Hirofumi Akazawa

Surgical management of hip dislocation in children with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a rare disease with multiple joint contractures. It is widely believed that bilaterally dislocated hips should not be reduced since movement is satisfactory and open reduction has had poor results. Since 1977 we have performed a new method of open reduction using an extensive anterolateral approach on ten hips in five children with AMC. The mean age at surgery was 31.5 months (17 to 64) and the mean follow-up was 11.8 years (3.8 to 19.5). At the final follow-up all children walked without crutches or canes. Two managed independently, one required a long leg brace and two had short leg braces because of knee and/or foot problems. The clinical results were good in eight hips and fair in two and on the Severin classification seven hips were rated as good (group I or group II). We recommend the extensive anterolateral approach for unilateral or bilateral dislocation of the hip in children with arthrogryposis or developmental dislocation of the hip.

Coxa magna after open reduction for developmental dislocation of the hip

We studied coxa magna after open reduction of developmental hip dislocation, including the etiology, incidence, and influence on the long-term results and acetabular development. Forty-seven hips in 47 patients were radiographically examined for at least 10 years, and another 20 hips in 20 patients were examined arthrographically at an early stage after open reduction. At follow-up, the incidence of coxa magna, which was defined as a femoral head with a size > or = 20% greater than the opposite side, was 34.0%, and that seemed to be one of factors that worsened the long-term results. One of the most important causes of coxa magna is to overwiden the acetabular capacity by excising the limbus; another cause is the surgical invasion and synovitis of the hip joint after operation.

Treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip in children after walking age. Indications from two-directional arthrography.

We treated 120 children between the ages of 12 and 31 months with 137 developmental dislocations of the hip and reviewed them at a mean follow-up of 14 years. We had used two-directional arthrography of all hips before reduction to evaluate the anterior, superior, and posterior portions of the limbus. Of the 137 hips, 64 had no interposed limbus in the AP view of the arthrogram, but 45 of these had an interposed anterior or posterior portion of the limbus. The hips with good stability and no interposed limbus in either AP or lateral arthrograms had excellent results by closed methods; in the other cases the results were less satisfactory. Our findings suggest that hips suitable for management by closed reduction can be identified by two-directional arthrography. Hips shown to have an interposed limbus are best managed by open reduction.

Long-term results of open reduction for residual subluxation in congenital dislocation of the hip: A new open reduction method involving 360 ~ circumferential capsulotomy

We report satisfactory results with a new operative treatment, conducted via an extensive anterolateral approach, involving 360 degree circumferential capsulotomy, for residual subluxation in congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH). Long-term radiographic results of this procedure (group A) were compared retrospectively with the results of partial capsulotomy (group B), which preserved the posteroinferior joint capsule. The mean center edge angle in group A (22.5°) was greater than that in group B (16.0°). Satisfactory results were achieved in 11 of 15 hips (73%) (Severin class I or II) in group A, and in 5 of 12 hips (42%) in group B. These results suggest that whole circumferential capsulotomy can remove obstacles to complete reduction, and that acetabular development can be expected in hips reduced by the procedure, without the performance of innominate osteotomy. We believe that our technique is a useful alternative for the treatment of residual subluxation in CDH.