Contralateral slip after unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis is associated with acetabular retroversion but not increased acetabular depth and overcoverage.

Overcoverage of the femoral head by the acetabulum, increased acetabular depth and retroversion have been associated with the etiology of slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). However, limited evidence exists about the impact of the acetabular morphology on the development of a contralateral slip following an initial presentation of unilateral SCFE. We aimed to investigate whether acetabular overcoverage as assessed by an increased lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) and low Tönnis angle, increased acetabular depth assessed by the acetabular depth-width ratio (ADR) and the presence of coxa profunda; and acetabular retroversion assessed by the presence of the crossover sign were associated with a contralateral slip in patients presenting with unilateral SCFE. We evaluated 250 patients with initial diagnosis of unilateral SCFE (average age, 12.5 ± 1.7 years), who had not undergone prophylactic fixation on the contralateral hip for a median follow-up of 49 months (interquartile range: 25-76 months). Endpoints were the development of a contralateral slip (70 patients, 28%) or skeletal maturity assessed by complete closure of the proximal femoral growth plate (180 patients, 72%). We measured the LCEA, Tönnis angle, ADR, and the coxa profunda sign on an anteroposterior pelvic radiograph. The crossover sign was assessed in 208 hips who had a secondary ossification center in the posterior acetabular rim. For each additional degree of LCEA, the odds of contralateral slip decreased 8% [odds ratio = 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.87-0.98; P = 0.009]. Tönnis angle (P = 0.11), ADR (P = 0.20) and coxa profunda (p = 0.37) had no association with a contralateral slip. The presence of crossover sign increased two and half times the odds for a contralateral slip (odds ratio = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.12-5.64; P = 0.03). Acetabular retroversion, but not acetabular overcoverage or increased acetabular depth, was associated with contralateral SCFE development in patients with unilateral SCFE. Level of evidence: prognostic level II.