Widening of the teardrop distance in early stages of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease compared with the late fate.

Between the years 1949 and 1968 75 children with unilateral idiopathic LCPD were treated nonoperatively in the Orthopedic University Clinic of Freiburg. In the follow-up 1981 the pelvic teardrop distances were determined and the quotient of the measurement's results of the sick and healthy sides were named "tear drop distance quotient" (TDDQ). We compared this TDDQ with the clinical and radiological end result.