Safe Surgical Dislocation in Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis

In slipped capital femoral epiphyses (SCFE), the severity of slippage correlates with poor long-term clinical outcome scores and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis . In situ fixation of higher-grade SCFE has a low surgical risk and has been advocated by authors who believe the deformed hip has the potential to remodel with some restoration of the disturbed anatomic axes ; however, the remodeling potential remains controversial . Despite remodeling, the head-neck offset will remain abnormal . This is the cause of potential impingement of the femoral neck with the acetabular cartilage . Impingement in SCFE has been associated with damage of the acetabular cartilage, which may explain the early onset of osteoarthritis after SCFE .

Ganz et al. described a technique of surgical dislocation of hip involving trochanteric flip osteotomy and anterior capsulotomy preserving the blood supply to femoral head. The technique is based on extensive study of blood supply to the proximal femur. This technique allows us to completely dislocate the joint which allows complete access to intra articular pathology and allow reduction of the slipped capital femoral epiphysis .