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Atrophy of the quadriceps muscle in children with a painful hip

S G Robben1, M H Lequin, M Meradji

  • 1Department of Pediatric Radiology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Clinical Physiology (Oxford, England)
|October 12, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Children with painful hips experience muscle wasting in their quadriceps. The degree of wasting varies by condition, correlating with symptom duration and pre-existing muscle mass.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Orthopedics
  • Musculoskeletal Imaging
  • Biomedical Engineering

Background:

  • Painful hip conditions in children can lead to secondary effects on muscle mass.
  • Quadriceps femoris muscle atrophy is a potential consequence of prolonged hip joint pathology.
  • Ultrasonography provides a non-invasive method to assess muscle morphology in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify muscle wasting in different quadriceps components in children with painful hips.
  • To compare the degree of muscle wasting across various pediatric hip pathologies.
  • To investigate the relationship between muscle wasting, symptom duration, and pre-existing muscle mass.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective ultrasonographic evaluation of 327 children with painful hips (January 1994 - September 1997).
  • Measurement of quadriceps femoris muscle thickness bilaterally and comparison with 59 control subjects.
  • Categorization of patients into groups including transient synovitis, Perthes' disease, and a 'no pathology' group.

Main Results:

  • Ipsilateral quadriceps muscle wasting was observed in all patient groups.
  • Significant differences in muscle wasting were found between transient synovitis, Perthes' disease, and control groups for quadriceps and vastus intermedius.
  • Rectus femoris showed significant differences, except between transient synovitis and the 'no pathology' group. Muscle wasting correlated positively with symptom duration and pre-existing muscle mass.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric hip conditions result in varying degrees and patterns of quadriceps muscle wasting.
  • Ultrasonography is effective in detecting and quantifying muscle atrophy in children with painful hips.
  • Understanding these patterns aids in diagnosis and management of pediatric hip disorders.

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