Changes in growth of the ilium after sopraacetabular osteotomy. Long-term evaluation.

It is commonly known that in acetabuloplasty according to the Pemberton-Zanoli method the insertion of the graft produces an immediate increase in the height of the iliac wing which in successive months could become hypergrowth caused by the hyperactivity of the underlying Y cartilage. A total of 40 cases of insufficiency of the acetabular roof treated by this method were examined based on measurements on follow-up radiograms and an evaluation of the spino-malleolar distance until puberty. The clinical evaluation showed that in 82.5% of cases there is dysmetria that is less than or equal to 0.5 cm. An evaluation of radiograms at the end of growth of the ilium [correction of ileum] did not reveal significant variations between the hemipelvis submitted to surgery and the contralateral one either in cases treated by acetabuloplasty alone or in those in which intertrochanteric osteotomy was associated. Acetabuloplasty according to the Pemberton-Zanoli method is thus effective in the treatment of acetabular dysplasia at a young age, obtaining long-lasting effects and ones that do not cause dysmetria in the adult.