Principles of containment treatment aimed at preventing femoral head deformation in Perthes disease.

The aim of treatment of Perthes in the early part of the disease is to prevent the femoral head from getting deformed by muscular forces and weight-bearing stresses transmitted across the acetabular margin. To achieve this, femoral head extrusion must be preempted in children who are older than 8 years at onset of the disease by ensuring containment as soon as the disease is diagnosed. In children younger than 8 years in whom femoral head extrusion occurs, containment must be obtained by the early stage of fragmentation.