[A radiological study of the hip joint in cerebral palsy]

In cerebral palsy (CP), abnormal posture, contracture of the hip and dislocation occur during a long period of the course. In order to clarify the factors of tendency to dislocation, radiological survey was undertaken for the patients of CP. These data were analyzed from the respects of weight bearing, position of leg and developed deformity at the neck of the femur. One hundred seventy eight hips of 90 patients with an average of 26 years of age and 64 hips of normal individual as a control. Kai's method was used for measuring angles of tilting at neck and anteversion. The incidence of dislocations of the hip joints was more frequent in patients who were incapable of weight bearing than in patients who were capable of weight bearing (p < 0.01). However, there was no difference between spastic type and athetotic type of CP. In patients who were incapable of weight bearing inclination (the neck-shaft angle), anteversion of the femoral neck to the shaft showed larger than in patients who were capable of weight bearing (p < 0.01). Anteversion of patients who were capable of weight bearing of CP was larger than that of the normal control (p < 0.01), but extent of inclination was the same. From these findings the present investigator has concluded that femoral neck becomes valgus with an increased anteversion in longstanding CP patients who are especially unable to stand or walk. Furthermore, such hip joints are found to dislocate easily if adducted.