Complications of periacetabular osteotomy.

There was a statistically significant decrease in major complications from 17% to 2.9% when comparing the first 35 cases with the second 35 cases of periacetabular osteotomy performed by one surgeon. There were no cases of intraarticular fracture, conversion to total hip replacement, or deaths in this series. Of considerable significance was that almost all major complications, as defined for disclosure in this report, left the patients with no permanent sequelae after either successful treatment, as in intraoperative bleeding, or with observation with time, as for recovery of sciatic nerve function. The complication rate of periacetabular osteotomy decreases significantly in proportion to increasing experience, as documented in this study. Patients in ongoing studies completed the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index and the Short Form- 36 preoperatively, which will add to the authors' ability to comment on functional outcomes in future reports.