The treatment of painful osteoarthritis of the hip in cerebral palsy requires a therapy concept that considers the pathoanatomical features and adapts the treatment to the individual physical and mental abilities. Femoral head resection has been proven be effective in severely dislocated hip joints in completely immobilized patients, whereas no satisfactory outcome is achieved in those patients with sufficient walking ability and moderate expression of spasticity.
The following study investigates the results of total hip replacement (THR) in patients with tetraspastic cerebral palsy. Between 1992 and 2004, 19 total hip arthroplasties were performed in 175 patients with an average follow-up of 4,6 years. In all patients the walking ability improved significantly; 84% of the patients were pain free. Aseptic loosening of the femoral component was registered in one patient. A periprosthetic fracture in another patient required the implantation of a modular non-cemented femoral component.
In this study total hip arthroplasty represents an important expansion of operative treatment options in secondary osteoarthritis of cerebral palsy in selected and cooperative patients. Taking the contradictions into consideration (severe athetosis, absence of adequate weight bearing, severe pelvic obliquity), THR promises to be an effective alternative to femoral head resection with significant pain reduction and improvement of walking abilities.