Roentgenographic and Clinical Study of Legg-Calve-Perthes' Disease: Review of Forty Six Children / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

Forty six cases of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease were reviewed clinically and roentgenographically in order to determine a satisfactory method of assessing the prognosis and to correlate the clinical and roentgenographical results. 1. The patients were children 3 to 12 years of age, with the peak at 6 years. The average age of visit (or diagnosis) was 6.7 years and that of onset was 6.4 years. 2. The total number of hips involved were 49, three cases being bilateral (6. 5%). Boys predominated girls by a ratio of 4.71 3. End results in children below 6 years of age were better than those in children above 6 years. The end results of treatment with the containment method were better than those with the noncontainment method. 4. The hips with excellent result had an average of 2.5mm. of uncovering of the femoral head at the time of diagnosis. The degree of uncovering increased as the roentgenographical result deteriorated, in the poor hips the average uncovering being 9mm. The average for the normal side was 2mm. The uncovering at onset is an accurate guide to the likely end result. 5. The Catterall assessment was of reliable prognostic value. In the excellent group, the majority of the hips belonged to Groups 1 and 2, In the poor group, there were no hips in Group 1 and increasing number of hips belonged to Groups 2,3 and 4. 6. The head at risk judged by Gage's sign, calcification of lateral epiphysis, lateral subluxation of the femoral head, and presence of a horizontal epiphyseal line indicated poor prognosis. 7. There was a close correlation between the severity of clinical features and the severity of residual roentgenographic findings.