This is one of a series of occasional articles highlighting conditions that may be more common than many doctors realise or may be missed at first presentation. The series advisers are Anthony Harnden, professor of primary care, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and Richard Lehman, general practitioner, Banbury. To suggest a topic, please email us at pra...

BACKGROUND Transient synovitis of the hip (TS) is considered to be a self-limiting disease in childhood. However, because the etiology is unclear and some cases precede Legg-Perthes' disease, data on follow-up are important. Our aim was to summarize the knowledge on the clinical course of TS in children. METHODS The study design was a systematic review and a literature search was conducted in...

The deformity index is a new radiological measurement of the degree of deformity of the femoral head in unilateral Perthes' disease. Its values represent a continuous outcome measure of deformity incorporating changes in femoral epiphyseal height and width compared with the unaffected side. The sphericity of the femoral head in 30 radiographs (ten normal and 20 from patients with Perthes' disea...

Background. Despite extensive research, it is still unknown whether a 40% increase in the anteversion angle value is a primary or a secondary change in Perthes' disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the variability of the anteversion angle in children with unilateral Perthes disease treated operatively with varus and derotation osteotomy. Material and methods. 53 patients between 5 and ...

INTRODUCTION The most common diseases in the group of painful hip are transient synovitis, rheumatoid arthritis, infective (septic) arthritis, Perthes disease and slipping of the upper femoral epiphysis. METHODOLOGY The algorhythm covers the first and control examinations in certain time intervals (after: 3-7, 7-15, 21-30 days; as well as 2-4 months). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The most frequen...

BACKGROUND Long-term studies have indicated good outcomes for most patients with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. However, clinical experience suggests that less favorable outcomes are common. We sought to prospectively document pain and function in a cohort of adults who had previously been treated nonoperatively for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. METHODS Patients in our region with Legg-Calvé-Perth...

We performed superselective angiography in 28 hips in 25 patients with Perthes' disease in order to study the blood supply of the lateral epiphyseal arteries (LEAs). Interruption of the LEAs at their origin was observed in 19 hips (68%). Revascularisation in the form of numerous small arteries was seen in ten out of 11 hips in the initial stage of Perthes' disease, in seven of eight in the frag...