Hägglund G, Hansson L I, Ordeberg G, Sandström S
Department of Orthopaedics, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.
J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1988 Mar;70(2):179-81. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.70B2.3346283.
The frequency of slipping and osteoarthritis of the contralateral hip was recorded in 260 patients with slipped upper femoral epiphysis between 1910 and 1960. Twenty-three of these patients (9%) had primary bilateral slipping, 32 (12%) had a contralateral slip diagnosed later during adolescence and a further 104 (40%) had signs of contralateral slipping at follow-up 16 to 66 years later, giving a total of 159 cases (61%) with bilateral slips. Of the 104 slippings diagnosed at follow-up, 25% showed osteoarthritis. It is concluded that, with a slipped epiphysis, prophylactic contralateral pinning should be performed to avoid slipping and to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.
