Pelvic displacement osteotomy in young myelodysplastic patients with dislocatable hips

This prospective study of the role that pelvic displacement osteotomy may have in the management of dislocatable hips in patients with myelomeningocele defines the technical points to be considered and gives preliminary results for ten hips in eight children. The procedure may salvage failed posterior iliopsoas transfers or, in patients not operated on previously, it may limit cephalad displacement of the femoral head. Both control of muscle imbalance and improvement of acetabular contour appear essential to a high rate of success in these patients. Eight of ten hips in this series were stable upon short-term review. All patients were less than 7 years of age.