Painful spastic hip dislocation: proximal femoral resection

The dislocated hip in a non-ambulatory child with spastic paresis tends to be a painful interference to sleep, sitting upright, and perineal care. Proximal femoral resection-interposition arthroplasty is one method of treatment for this condition. We reviewed eight hips, two bilateral cases, with a mean follow-up of 30 months. Clinical improvement was observed in all except one case, with respect to pain relief and sitting tolerance. Some proximal migration was observed in three cases, despite routine post-operative skeletal traction in all cases and careful soft tissue interposition. One case showed significant heterotopic ossification which restricted prolonged sitting. This patient needed some occasional medication for pain.