OUTCOME OF THE UNAFFECTED CONTRALATERAL HIP IN UNILATERAL SCFE

Methods A retrospective review of 80 patients with unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis from 1998–2012 was undertaken to determine the outcome of the unaffected hip. All patients were treated with either prophylactic single Richards screw fixation or observation of the uninvolved hip and were followed up for at least 12 months. The unaffected hip of 44 patients (mean age 12.6 years, range 9–17) had simultaneous prophylactic fixation and 36 patients (mean age 13.4 years, range 9–17.4) were managed with observation. Results Sequential slip of the unaffected hip was noted in 10 patients (28 per cent) in the observation group and only in 1 patient (2 per cent) in the group managed with prophylactic fixation. A Fisher9s exact test showed significantly high incidence of sequential slip in unaffected hips when managed with regular observation (p-value 0.002). Only 3 cases had symptomatic hardware on the unaffected side after prophylactic fixation with one requiring revision of the metal work; one had superficial wound infection treated with antibiotics. No cases had AVN or chondrolysis. Conclusion Simultaneous prophylactic fixation of the unaffected hip significantly reduces the incidence of sequential slip in unilateral SCFE with minimal complications. Level of evidence III