Perthes Hip Treated with Articulated Hip Distraction and Small Diameter Core Decompression

This is the case of an 11 year old girl with late-onset Legg-Calve-Perthes (LCP) disease of the left hip. Late onset and female gender are poor prognostics for this disease. Treatment options include conservative modalities and surgical intervention usually involves pelvic and/or femoral osteotomies. Articulated hip distraction combined with small-diameter core decompression has yielded promising results in this subset of patients. The advantage of articulated hip distraction is that there is simultaneous unloading of the joint, while the abducted hip remains well covered by the acetabulum, without altering the femoral or acetabular anatomy. The small-diameter core decompression is thought to help stimulate new vascular channels toward the femoral head and accelerates the LCP process.