The effect of unilateral varus rotational osteotomy with or without pelvic osteotomy on the contralateral hip in patients with perinatal static encephalopathy

Forty-eight patients with perinatal static encephalopathy were treated with unilateral varus rotational femoral osteotomy for hip subluxation. Twenty-one of the 48 also had concomitant pelvic osteotomy. Twenty-seven of the patients were nonambulators. Bilateral soft-tissue releases had been performed previously in 20 patients. At the time of yams rotational osteotomy, the mean age was 8 years, 11 months. The indication for a yams rotational osteotomy was femoral head subluxation or dislocation in all cases. The preoperative center-edge angle ranged from -8°to 18°(mean, 4°), and on the contralateral side, the center-edge angle ranged from 0°to 32°(mean, 19°). The center-edge angle on the operative side at follow-up averaged 25°(-10°to 78°), an improvement of 21°, and on the contralateral side averaged 27°(range, 9°-40°), an improvement of 8°. Forty-seven patients have had no subsequent surgery on the contralateral hip. One patient had a varus rotational osteotomy on the contralateral hip 5 years postoperatively; however, this hip was subluxated at the time of the index procedure. Twelve patients have had no surgery at any time on the contralateral side. None of these patients had deterioration of the contralateral hip. Surgery on one hip should not, in itself, be an indication for surgery on the contralateral concentrically reduced hip with adequate abduction in patients with acetabular dysplasia secondary to perinatal static encephalopathy.