Combined femoral and acetabular version is sex-related and differs between patients with hip dysplasia and acetabular retroversion.

AIMS: Frequency of abnormal femoral and acetabular version (AV) and combinations are unclear in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). This study aimed to investigate femoral version (FV), the proportion of increased FV and femoral retroversion, and combined-version (CV, FV+AV) in DDH patients and acetabular-retroversion (AR).

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective IRB-approved observational study was performed with 78 symptomatic DDH patients (90 hips) and 65 patients with femoroacetabular-impingement (FAI) due to AR (77 hips, diagnosis on AP radiographs). CT/MRI-based measurement of FV (Murphy method) and central AV were compared. Frequency of increased FV(FV > 25°), severely increased FV (FV > 35°) and excessive FV (FV > 45°) and of decreased FV (FV < 10°) and CV (McKibbin-index/COTAV-index) was analysed.

RESULTS: Mean FV and CV was significantly (p < 0.001) increased of DDH patients (mean ± SD of 25 ± 11° and 47 ± 18°) compared to AR (16 ± 11° and 28 ± 13°). Mean FV of female DDH patients (27 ± 16°) and AR (19 ± 12°) was significantly (p < 0.001) increased compared to male DDH patients (18 ± 13°) and AR (13 ± 8°). Frequency of increased FV (>25°) was 47% and of severely increased FV (>35°) was 23% for DDH patients. Proportion of femoral retroversion (FV < 10°) was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in patients AR (31%) compared to DDH patients (17%). 18% of DDH patients had AV > 25° combined with FV > 25°. Of patients with AR, 12% had FV < 10° combined with AV < 10°.

CONCLUSION: Patients with DDH and AR have remarkable sex-related differences of FV and CV. Frequency of severely increased FV > 35° (23%) is considerable for patients with DDH, but 17% exhibited decreased FV, that could influence management. The different combinations underline the importance of patient-specific evaluation before open hip preservation surgery (periacetabular osteotomy and femoral derotation osteotomy) and hip-arthroscopy.