[Preliminary results of surgical treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip in older children].

Reduction of developmental dislocation of the hip is difficult to achieve in children after walking age and particularly in older children. In fact, at this age the important retraction of the muscles around the hip associated with a marked acetabular dysplasia and elongation of the joint capsule explain the difficulty and instability of reduction and the frequency of complications. In this study we reviewed retrospectively the clinical and radiological results of 26 developmental dislocations of the hip treated by open reduction, pelvic osteotomy and femoral shortening in 21 children aged more than 5 years. Age at surgery ranged from 5 to 11 years (mean 7.5 years) with a follow-up of 1 to 8 years (mean 2 years 7 months). According to the clinical classification of MC Kay, 17 hips had a good result while 9 hips had a fair or poor result. According to the Severin classification system 18 hips had an excellent and good radiological result. Ten hips developed an avascular necrosis of the femoral head following the reduction.