The Treatment of Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease in Children: Comparative Effectiveness of the Method of Hardware Unloading and the Method of Tunnelization of the Femoral Head and Neck.

Background: Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease poses a significant challenge in modern medicine. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of hardware unloading of the hip joint on an external fixation device and tunnelization of the femoral head and neck with autogenous cancellous bone grafting in the management of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease in pediatric patients.

Methods: Conducted in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 2018 to 2022, the research involved 10 children diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (main group) and 15 patients using tunnelization of the femoral head and neck with autogenous cancellous bone grafting. The patients were stratified into 2 groups, each undergoing distinct treatment moda-lities: hardware unloading of the hip joint on an external fixation device method (10 patients), and method of tunnelization of the femoral head and neck with autogenous cancellous bone grafting (15 patients). Standardized clinical assessments, radiological evaluations, and functional tests were employed for comprehensive analysis.

Results: The group undergoing hardware unloading of the hip joint on an external fixation device treatment exhibited statistically significant improvements in both clinical and radiological parameters compared to the other cohort. While the group using tunnelization of the femoral head and neck with autogenous cancellous bone grafting showed a beneficial effect, its efficacy fell short of that observed with hardware unloading of the hip joint on an external fixation device.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the efficacy of hardware unloading of the hip joint on an external fixation device in the management of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease in pediatric patients.