Revision of Failed Open Reduction of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

Treatment perspective after failed open reduction of congenital hip dislocation. A systematic review

Background

Failure of open reduction of developmental hip dislocation is a serious complication and revision surgery appear to be technically demanding with high complication rates. Little attention has been given in literature to patients in whom open reduction of developmental hip dislocation has failed. We present a systematic review about current perspectives and timing when to perform surgical revision after failed open reduction of developmental hip dislocation in children.

Methods

Following the recommendations of the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses" (PRISMA) statements we performed a comprehensive search of the PubMed and Google Scholar bibliographic database in order to select all studies published between 1980 and 2022. Studies were screened for the reasons for failure of open reduction, timing when revision surgery was performed, and for the surgical techniques used for revision.

Results

A total of 10 articles including 252 patients and 268 hips has been recorded. The most common causes of re-dislocation after open reduction are inadequate exposure and failure to release the obstructing soft tissues inside and around the hip. In 90% of the cases the anterolateral approach was performed for revision surgery. Avascular necrosis occurred in 5%-67% of cases and was the most encountered complication.

Conclusion

Redislocation of developmental hip dislocation after an open reduction has poor long-term outcomes mainly due to a high rate of avascular necrosis of the femoral head. It is mandatory to obtain a stable reduction at the second surgery combining soft tissue release, capsulorrhaphy, pelvic and femoral osteotomies.

The tension of the iliopsoas tendon more than doubles during extension of the dysplastic hip in open reduction

The role of the iliopsoas as an obstructing and re-dislocating factor in developmentally dislocated hips is unclear. The purpose of this article is to determine the change in the iliopsoas' tension during flexion and extension when performing an open reduction. We evaluated 34 hips undergoing an anterior open reduction for a developmental dislocation. At the time of surgery, we identified the iliopsoas, and before sectioning it as part of the open reduction, we measured the tension while cycling the reduced hip through flexion and extension. We performed statistical analysis using Pearson and Spearman correlation tests. We created an initial tension artificially at 20 N with the hip held in 90º of flexion, which then doubled to a mean of 42 N when placed in extension. We found a significant increase in tension when the hip went below 20º of flexion. We also found the correlation between the angle of the hip and the force of tension to be statistically significant ( P  = 0.003). This study provides quantitative support that the tension of the iliopsoas tendon increases significantly in extension when performing an open reduction of a developmentally dislocated hip.

Modified Capsulorrhaphy Technique in Open Reduction of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip

BACKGROUND

Neglected patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) are not uncommon. Various treatment modalities have been used. Capsulorrhaphy is one of the most critical steps during the process of open reduction of DDH. Inadequate capsulorrhaphy technique can increase the failure rate of open reduction procedures. This study presented the clinical and radiographic results of using a new capsulorrhaphy technique.

METHODS

Between November 2005 and March 2018, 540 DDH in 462 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age at surgery was 31 months. All patients underwent a modified capsulorrhaphy technique developed by the main author (with or without additional pelvic or femoral procedures). Postoperative patient assessment during the follow-up period was performed both clinically and radiologically.

RESULTS

Follow-up period ranged between 36 months and 12 years. Based on the modified McKay score, good and excellent outcomes were obtained in 90.3%. Functional results were better in younger age (less than 39 mo). Both acetabular index and lateral center edge angle showed significant improvement at 3 years follow-ups. Proximal femoral growth disturbance (PFGD) was encountered in 92 hips. Classes 2 and 3 did not affect the functional results, whereas patients with PFGD classes 4 and 5 had fair to poor functional outcomes. There were 12 hips with redislocation. Revision was done using the same capsulorrhaphy technique.

CONCLUSION

Using the index technique of capsulorrhaphy in DDH surgery is safe, reliable, and yields good functional and radiologic outcomes with a relatively low complication rate.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV-therapeutic retrospective case series.