Thirty-two biplane osteotomies in thirty patients were performed for the
treatment of chronic slipped capital femoral epiphysis during a
fourteen-year period at the Jersey City Medical Center. Twenty-seven
patients (twenty-nine hips) were followed for two and a half to fourteen
years. The correction obtained at surgery was maintained in all of the
patients. Although two patients had had narrowing of the hip joint
preoperatively and one had narrowing postoperatively, this had resolved at
an average of three years postoperatively. Improvement in the range of
motion was noted. In twenty patients the limb lengths were equal, in three
the involved limb was longer, and in four patients the limb was shorter
postoperatively. One patient had a slight subluxation of the femoral head
due to an excessive valgus correction at the time of surgery, and one
patient had delayed union of the osteotomy site which went on to
satisfactory healing. No patients had avascular necrosis of the femoral
head or symptoms of degenerative arthritis at follow-up. Preoperative
joint-space narrowing did not appear to be a contraindication to this
procedure.