[Acute chondrolysis following slipped capital femoral epiphysis. A study of 41 cases (author's transl)].

The authors have seen 41 instances of chondrolysis following slipped capital femoral epiphyses. Most of the cases were followed-up for more than five years. The main clinical features are reviewed. There is joint stiffness and generalised narrowing of the joint space during the year following the initial lesion. The evolution of the lesion is unpredictable. A number of possible radiological changes may develop including renewal of the joint space, modifications in the femoral head with a tendency towards protrusio, and osteophyte formation at the lateral margins of the acetabulum. In five cases a biopsy was performed which showed a non-specific dystrophy of the acetabular and femoral cartilage, with sub-chondral bony change different from that found in epiphyseal necrosis. The synovium did not show inflammatory change. The treatment should not be surgical at an early stage but the effectiveness of traction was uncertain. Later, corrective osteotomies may be indicated. Definitive surgical procedures such as arthrodesis or arthroplasty should not be made early because late clinical recovery has been noted. Cup arthroplasties gave deceptive results. The etiology of this disease is discussed.