Surgical Dislocation of the Hip for the Treatment of Pre-Arthritic Hip Disease

The purpose of this study was to report the clinical results of surgical dislocation of the hip in the treatment of pre-arthritic hip disease. Between 2005 and 2010, eighty-two patients (89 hips) underwent a surgical dislocation of the hip at a mean age of 30.5 years (range 14.8–51.7); 10 females and 72 males. At a mean follow-up of 7.1 years (range 5–9.6) clinical function improved significantly. 6 patients were converted to total hip arthroplasty and 3 patients underwent an arthroscopy and an additional three patients had > 1 mm of joint space narrowing at latest follow-up giving us a 9-year cumulative Kaplan–Meier survivorship of 86.4% (CI, 79% to 94%). Thirty-four patients underwent internal fixation removal at a mean of 12.0 months (range 0.3–40.8 months). Although effective in the treatment of early hip disease, the surgical dislocation approach carries a high re-operation rate for removal of internal fixation; consequently, less invasive approaches should be considered for less complex deformities.