The development of coxarthrosis. A radiological follow-up of patients operated upon.

It is necessary to distinguish between coxarthrosis and age-related changes, as the latter are not signs of disease. Cartilage destruction is the earliest definite radiological sign of arthrosis. The femoral head is displaced when cartilage destruction and secondary osseous changes have reached an advanced stage. This implies a circulus vitiosus and an acceleration of the arthrotic process. Coxarthrosis can be divided into two types, medial and cranial. The size of the CE angle (see Fig. 1) is of decisive importance for the type of coxarthrosis to be developed. The present study demonstrates that coxarthrosis is as a rule of a secondary nature, the aetiology being pre-arthrotic deformities that cause abnormal load conditions in the hip joint. Synovitis plays an important role in the pathogenesis in many cases.