Traumatic dislocation of the hip in children and adolescents

The authors carried out a long-term review of 22 children and adolescents treated for traumatic dislocation and fracture dislocation of the hip with a view to ascertaining the factors responsible for unsatisfactory results. They considered the age of the patient, the severity of the trauma, the presence of associated fractures of the acetabular rim, the method of reduction, the time between injury and reduction, and the time between reduction and full weight-bearing. They stress the importance of early recognition of bone or soft tissue fragments included in the joint after closed reduction and immediate operation to remove them. Displaced fragments of the acetabular rim fracture should also be fixed. They also consider it important not to allow full weight-bearing until full hip movement has been restored, whatever the age of the patient and the time necessary to achieve it.