Legg-Calve-Perthes disease following transient synovitis. How often?
Forty-one children with transient synovitis of the hip and 10 children with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease were followed. All 41 cases of transient synovitis had a benign outcome. In this series, nine of the 10 children with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease were diagnosed upon their first roentgenographic examination. One child whose first diagnosis was transient synovitis remained symptomatic for 4 months, when he developed roentgenologic changes consistent with Perthes disease. The literature is reviewed and 455 cases of transient synovitis analyzed. Only one patient with transient synovitis developed Legg-Calve-Perthes disease after having been asymptomatic for a period of 3 months. In 17 other cases, symptoms persisted until Legg-Calve-Perthes was diagnosed. It is suggested that transient synovitis is a benign disease and that only children with protracted symptoms are at risk to develop Perthes disease.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005271:Femur Head Necrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007873:Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D013585:Synovitis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013997:Time Factors