Wedge osteotomy of the femoral neck for slipped capital femoral
epiphysis was performed in seventy-seven hips of seventy-one children at
Gillette Children's Hospital during the period 1938 to 1973. The major
complications were avascular necrosis (28.5 per cent) and cartilage
necrosis (37.6 per cent). This high incidence of severe complications led
to the use of an osteotomy through the base of the neck for the treatment
of severely slipped capital femoral epiphysis which has given satisfactory
results in six hips to date.