Controlled repositioning and primary osteoplasty as a treatment option for the management of unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis

Abstract

The ideal management of an unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is still controversial. The currently available options are in-situ screw fixation with delayed corrective osteotomy, closed reduction and screw fixation and anatomic reduction by modified Dunn’s procedure (MDP). We present the results of our technique of controlled re-positioning (CRP) with primary osteoplasty in which the epiphysis is repositioned to the preacute slip stage and a mini-open osteoplasty is done in the same sitting to avoid later femoro-acetabular impingement. We had 27 unstable slips which presented to our institution between 2015 and 2019, of which nine were treated with the above technique, and the rest 18 were treated with MDP. All of them were followed up for a minimum of 1 year. The mean intraoperative flexion-internal rotation before osteoplasty was −21.1° (−5° to −40°), which improved to +22.8° (+15° to +30°). Pre- and post-operative mean head-neck angles were 46.5° and 18.3°, respectively, with a decrease of 28.2°. At the final follow-up, the mean alpha angle was 45.1° and the mean head-neck offset ratio was 0.26. None of the patients had avascular necrosis or chondrolysis. The technique of CRP, screw fixation and primary osteoplasty is a viable treatment option for a subset of patients with unstable SCFEs. But, the decision is made intraoperatively and the parents need to be counselled about the need for an alternative procedure if repositioning is unsuccessful. Level of evidence: level IV – case series.