Background: The modern indications for Chiari pelvic osteotomy (CPO) have narrowed and the number of such operations performed has diminished markedly. So far published long-term experience with CPO indicate the fact that in selected patients satisfactory functional results can be achieved. The aim of this study was to investigate the parameters which influence CPO survival and its conversion into total hip arthroplasty (THA).
Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective case-series study. In the period from 1976 to 2012, it included 172 CPO in 158 patients. Of those, in 43 patients (48 hips) the follow-up was discontinued, leaving 115 patients (124 hips) for final analyses. The median age at the time of the surgery was 34 years, and the mean duration of the follow-up was 19 years.
Results: In 115 patients (124 CPO) included in the study, a total of 51 THA was performed in 49 patients. The median period between CPO and THA was 14 years.
Conclusion: Supporting our results, we suggest that CPO should still be indicated in a selected group of younger patients even with advanced stage of hip osteoarthritis who prefer a joint-conserving procedure and consent to a predicted less optimal outcome.
Keywords: Chiari pelvic osteotomy; total hip arthroplasty.