Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease.

The etiology, radiographic classification, and treatment of Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease remain controversial. Several recent papers focus on these issues in an effort to provide guidance in the clinical care of Perthes' disease. The research studied in this paper lends further support to the hypothesis of clotting abnormalities with vascular thrombosis, which seems to be the most likely etiology for Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease. Several studies focus on use of magnetic resonance imaging for the early diagnosis and prognosis of Perthes' disease. A few researchers whose work is featured in this paper add information on the treatment of Perthes' disease, supporting surgical treatment for older patients with more severe disease and non-surgical treatment for younger patients with less extensive femoral head involvement.