The purpose of this study was to analyze complications seen in children with femur fractures stabilized with titanium elastic nails, comparing their use in stable and unstable fracture patterns. A retrospective review was performed on 39 consecutive children with femur fractures treated with titanium elastic nails. Patients with comminuted or long oblique fractures were classified as having "length-unstable" fractures. Patients were analyzed qualitatively for any predictive factors or treatment variables that increased the risk of complications. There were 24 patients with complications (62%). Eight patients (21%) underwent unplanned surgery prior to complete fracture union. Six of the eight requiring unplanned surgery were treated for "length-unstable" fractures. The complications that required unplanned surgery for either prominent nails or loss of reduction occurred more commonly in unstable non-transverse fracture patterns. The authors conclude that in patients with "length-unstable" femur fractures, consideration should be given to methods of treatment other than titanium flexible intramedullary nails.

Background Quality of health care and safety have been emphasized by various professional and governmental groups. However, no standardized method exists for grading and reporting complications in orthopaedic surgery. Conclusions regarding outcomes are incomplete without a standardized, objective complication grading scheme applied concurrently. The general surgery literature has the Clavien-Dindo classification that meets the above criteria.Questions/purposes We asked whether a previously reported classification would show high intraobserver and interobserver reliabilities when modified for orthopaedic surgery specifically looking at hip preservation surgery. We therefore determined the interreader and intrareader reliabilities of the adapted classification scheme as applied to hip preservation surgery. Methods We adapted the validated Clavien-Dindo complication classification system and tested its reliability for orthopaedic surgery, specifically hip preservation surgery. There are five grades based on the treatment required to manage the complication and the potential for long-term morbidity. Forty-four complication scenarios were created from a prospective multicenter database of hip preservation procedures and from the literature. Ten readers who perform hip surgery at eight centers in three countries graded the scenarios at two different times. Fleiss' and Cohen's j statistics were performed for interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities, respectively. Results The overall Fleiss' j value for interobserver reliability was 0.887 (95% CI, 0.855-0.891). The weighted j was 0.925 (95% CI, 0.894-0.956) for Grade I, 0.838 (95% CI, 0.807-0.869) for Grade II, 0.87 (95% CI, 0.835-0.866) for Grade III, and 0.898 (95% CI, 0.866-0.929) for

Favorable outcomes can be expected after the treatment of impingement in patients with borderline dysplasia when labral refixation and capsular closure are performed, with comparable outcomes to nondysplastic patients. Further follow-up in larger cohorts is necessary to prove the durability and safety of hip arthroscopy in this challenging group and to further explore potential sex-related differences in outcome.

Background: Current literature describing the periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is mostly limited to retrospective case

In this study, significant chondromalacia and labral injury was observed in hips afflicted with SCFE. Surgical hip dislocation allowed direct confirmation of the impingement of the prominent metaphysis on the acetabular labrum and cartilage.

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Background In situ pinning is the conventional treatment for a stable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). However, with a severe stable SCFE the residual deformity may lead to femoroacetabular impingement and articular cartilage damage. A modified Dunn subcapital realignment procedure has been developed to allow for correction at the level of the deformity while preserving the blood supply to the femoral head. Questions/purposes We compared children with severe stable SCFE treated with the modified Dunn procedure or in situ pinning in terms of (1) proximal femoral radiographic deformity; (2) Heyman and Herndon clinical outcome; (3) complication rate; and (4) number of reoperations performed after the initial procedure. Methods In this nonmatched retrospective study, 15 patients treated with the modified Dunn procedure (between 2007 and 2012) and 15 treated with in situ pinning (between 2001 and 2009) for severe but stable SCFE were followed for a mean of 2.5 years (range, 1-6 years). During the period in question, the decision regarding which procedure to use was based on the on-call surgeon's discretion; six surgeons performed in situ pinning and three surgeons performed the modified Dunn procedure. A total of 15 other patients were treated for the same diagnosis during the study period but were lost to followup before 1 year; of those, 12 were in the in situ pinning group. Radiographs were reviewed to measure the AP and lateral alpha angles, femoral head-neck offset, and Southwick angle preoperatively and at the latest clinical visit. The Heyman and Herndon clinical outcome, complications, and subsequent hip surgeries were recorded. Results At latest followup, the median AP alpha angle (52°, range 41°-59°versus 76°, interquartile range [IQR]: 68°-

Surgical hip dislocation is a safe procedure with a low complication rate. Many of the complications were clinically unimportant heterotopic ossification. There were no cases of femoral head osteonecrosis or femoral neck fracture, and, with the exception of one sciatic neurapraxia that partially resolved, no other complication resulted in long-term morbidity.