title: Primary total hip replacement in childhood, adolescence and young patients: quality and outcome of clinical studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present meta-analysis illustrates relevant information about hip replacement in young patients that has been published during the past 3 decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on a MedLine literature review a total of 95 studies were evaluated. Parameters for evaluation of study quality and outcome were implant survival rates (ISR),number of patients, indications, follow-up, surgical approaches and number of surgeons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most studies consider patient numbers <50. In 33 studies one implant system was applied compared to 65 studies in which more than one system was used. Most studies include different surgical approaches. 20% of all studies contained neither the number of surgeons,nor the type of surgical approach. The overall ISR could be evaluated in 67 studies. Sufficient data about the ISR of stem and/or sockets were available in 50 papers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most published studies analyzed inhomogeneous study populations; study variables vary as do the implants used for treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Heinrich-Heine University Medical School, Düsseldorf, Germany. Jaeger@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.forename: M J W
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Begg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ready
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bittersohl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Millis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krauspe
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Thornhill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001168:Arthritis / Q000601:surgery*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000601:surgery; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D006618:Hip Dislocation, Congenital / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome