Does the size of the femoral head correlate with the incidence of avascular necrosis of the proximal femoral epiphysis in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip treated by closed reduction?

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify if any correlation between size of the proximal femoral epiphysis and avascular necrosis (AVN) exists. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 111 patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip treated by closed reduction (124 hips). The diameter and height of both femoral head and ossific nucleus were assessed on preoperative MRI. Results The diameter and the height of the femoral head as well as of the ossific nucleus of the contralateral side were significantly greater than the dislocated side. AVN occurred in 21 (16.9%) out of 124 hips. The rate of AVN gradually decreased with age: 30.0% at six to 12 months, 18.2% at 12 to 18 months and 3.7% at 18 to 24 months. Spearman correlation analysis showed that age is negatively correlated with the incidence of AVN (r =-0.274; p = 0.002) and the diameter of the femoral head has a significantly negative association with the incidence of AVN (r =-0.287; p = 0.001). No significant association was observed between the incidence of AVN and height of the femoral head or size of the ossific nucleus. Hips with AVN were significantly smaller than hips without AVN. Conclusions The size of both the femoral head and the ossific nucleus increase with age although the dislocated femoral head is smaller compared with the contralateral side. The diameter of the femoral head and not the size of the ossific nucleus negatively correlate with the risk of AVN, with a bigger femoral head showing lower risk of AVN.