Salter innominate osteotomy in the treatment of severe Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: clinical and radiographic results in 32 patients (37 hips) at skeletal maturity.

Between 1979 and 1992, 32 patients (37 hips) were treated in the authors' institution by Salter osteotomy for Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Twenty-four patients were male and eight female. Nineteen patients were younger than 7 years of age (84 months). According to Waldenström and Jonsäter, 15 hips (45.54%) showed necrosis, 19 (51.35%) fragmentation, and 3 (8.11%) reossification. All necrotic hips were classified as Salter and Thompson B; considering those in fragmentation, 27 (79.41%) were classified as Catterall group 3 and 7 (20.59%) as group 4. Laredo's arthrographic classification, applied to 34 hips, showed 19 (55.88%) as group 3, 11 (32.35%) as group 4, and 4 (11.77%) as group 5. Mean follow-up was 115.94 months. Wiberg's center-edge angle increased significantly independent of sex and age. The clinical results according to Robinson et al did not show any correlation with sex, age, evolutionary stage, or classifications of Catterall and Mose. The final radiographic evaluation according to Mose showed 16 hips (43.26%) classified as good and 21 (56.76%) as poor. Considering the criteria of Stulberg et al for the final evaluation, 11 hips (29.73%) were included in class 1, 5 (13.51%) in class 2, 13 (35.13%) in class 3, and 6 (21.63%) in class 4. Patients younger than 7 years (84 months) showed better results. There was no significant difference between the results at first (reossification) and final evaluation (skeletal maturity).