Ninety-three standing anteroposterior (AP) pelvis roentgenograms in 87 patients were measured for a total of 186 normal hips in children aged 1-17 years. For each hip, the physeal angle relative to the floor, the physeal angle relative to the pelvis, the cartilage thickness perpendicular to the floor, and the cartilage thickness perpendicular to the physis were measured and recorded. The physeal angle varied from ages 1-7 years, stabilizing at age 8 at a mean of 23 degrees . Physeal angle is best measured relative to the floor because pelvic obliquity introduces significant variability to the measurements. Cartilage thickness ("joint space") declined after age 7 years, with measurements in three statistically distinct groups. There was a statistically significant difference between cartilage-thickness measurements of boys versus girls, with girls showing a slightly smaller cartilage thickness than boys. Cartilage thickness measured perpendicular to the floor was not statistically significantly different from that measured perpendicular to the physis. We describe and recommend standard measurement techniques for physeal angle and cartilage thickness. These established normal values may be helpful in the diagnosis and evaluation of coxa vara and chondrolysis, and in identifying the head at risk for slipped capital femoral epiphysis or Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.

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Materials and methods:Since the use of conventional prosthetic heart valves in LVAD and TAH applications i s still associated with thomboembolic events and other complications, the purpose of this study was the comparative evaluation of an alternative valve for the above purpose. Based on the original design of the Taguchi LVAD, two modified identical LVADs were manufactured from PU-solutions by dipcoating techniques. The blood-contacting surfaces D were made from Cardiomat 610 . One LVAD was equipped with Björk-Shiley Monostrut valves, the other with a stented PU-valve in inlet position and an integrated PU-valve in the outlet cannula. Fig. l shows a crosssection of the used LVAD, on the left half the PU-valve version, on the right half the BjÖrk-Shiley valve version. Both LVADs were paracorporeally implanted in atrial-aortic mode in 70 kg Jersey calves, driven in parallel for 4 weeks ( fig. 2), and explanted.