Fixation of slipped capital femoral epiphyses with unthreaded 2-mm wires.

Abstract

Twenty chronic and three acute-on-chronic slipped capital femoral epiphyses (SCFEs) were fixed with unthreaded 2-mm wires. Nineteen hips were fixed with three wires, and four with four wires. Postoperatively, patients bore full weight after 6 weeks. There were no pin penetrations or cases of chondrolysis. No femoral heads grew off the wires. Fifteen hips showed no change in the head-shaft angle postoperatively. Of the remaining eight, two improved their head-shaft angles in the anteroposterior (AP) view (6,7 degrees), and five improved in the lateral view (6-13 degrees, average, 11 degrees). Two hips worsened in the AP view (9,10 degrees), and none in the lateral view.