Purpose: To address the question, compared to having hip replacement with latent revision, does Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) before primary hip replacement occupy a preferable treatment strategy for middle aged (aged 35-54 years) hip dysplasia patients? We assessed the mid-term functional outcome and survivorship of PAO in those patients.
Methods: Forty-one hips in 36 patients at middle age at the time of surgery (mean age, 39.5 years; range, 35-47 years) were retrospectively identified out of a total PAO cohort of 315 patients. Eleven of the 41 PAO hips also underwent osteochondroplasty at the femoral head-neck junction. Radiographic parameters of lateral centre edge angle, anterior centre edge angle and hip joint medialisation were investigated using the Harris Hip Score (HHS).
Results: The average follow-up was 5.1 years (range, two to ten years). Radiographic parameters postoperatively improved into the normal range, whereas no progression was found from preoperative Tonnis osteoarthritis score. Forty hips survived at the last follow-up, with HHS Score improved from 63.7 to 88.4. Compared to the sole PAO group, both postoperative alpha angle and range of joint motion improved in the PAO combined with osteochondroplasty group. However, no difference in HHS score was found.
Conclusions: Good survivorship and improved joint function were identified in middle-aged Chinese patients following PAO with or without osteochondroplasty. We prudently suggest PAO as an alternative strategy for treating DDH in those patients.