title: Late sequelae in septic arthritis of the hip in infants.
abstract: Septic arthritis of the hip joint is a condition that can often lead to partial or complete destruction of the hip joint, causing severe functional disability. Reports in the literature indicate that optimal management of these patients is unclear. Our report presents a follow-up of 37 patients (44 hips) who had septic arthritis during infancy or childhood. In general, patients at follow-up had a poor anatomical appearance radiographically, although pain and activity restriction were minimal. Results suggest that surgical efforts should be directed primarily at correcting limb length discrepancy and malalignment of the mechanical axes. In general, patients with a hip deformity of type I-III had a good functional outcome, whereas patients with hip deformity type IV with an instable hip joint had an unsatisfactory outcome. Any indication for hip replacement in these patients should be based not only on radiological findings, but also on the functional situation.
authors.affiliation: Orthopädisches Spital Speising, Wien, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grill
authors.affiliation: Orthopädisches Spital Speising, Wien, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rustler
keywords: Key words Septic arthritis of the hip • Late sequelae • Classification • Surgical management