Hip surgery in cerebral palsy.

The authors report the importance of hip dislocation and pelvic imbalance in patients with cerebral palsy, as the cause of pain, decubitus, and severe secondary deformities of the vertebral column. They report their experience in the surgical treatment of spastic hip, based on 231 cases with a mean follow-up of 5.4 years. The authors emphasize the importance of obtaining a balanced pelvis to allow for walking and sitting in the severest patients, and in order to avoid severe deformity of the vertebral column. The surgical methods used, with particular interest in the importance of stabilizing reduction by intertrochanteric osteotomies of the femur and/or acetabular roof osteotomies, are described. Results obtained, positive in 88% of cases, are also reported.