Hip surgery after slipped epiphysis

[rebate]

Hello!
I'm new to this forum and have appreciated reading through the posts. I'm 46 and my left hip is about ready to go. I had a slipped epiphysis when I was around 11 and they didn't catch it for months, as my doctor convinced my mother that my limp was only to gain attention. They ended up surgically fixing the problem and putting in a steel rod and six screws into the bone.

Anyhow, fast forward to today. I did NOT have the plate taken out of my leg and the hip has deteriorated to the point of me making an appointment with a surgeon at the end of this month. I'm concerned about how much harder the surgery will be, since they have to remove the plate and screws that have now grown into the femur. Anyone out there have this experience and want to share?? Please!!

 

[Josephine]

Hi, rebate, and welcome to BoneSmart. Hope you find what you are looking for here.

Well, that is a very familiar story to me. a) that the doctor dismissed your SUFE as attention-seeking (sometimes the parents got told it was 'growing pains') and b) about the removal of the ironmongery.

I make it a policy to be (reasonably) honest here but don't be dismayed by the first part! You've had those screws in place for 35 years (1972 by my reckoning) and about that time I was in my very first theatre's sister's job (OR manager for you US types!) so I remember that kind of kit very well. The pins they used were about 6" long and about 3mm diameter. We used about 4 of them. If this is what you have, they will be no problem.

However, since your treatment was delayed, you may have had a more invasive procedure called (in the UK anyway) a Dunn's operation. This was often fixed with the same kind of appliance used to fix hip fractures in the elderly. These can be a little problematic to remove.

BUT the good news is that we now have modern technology and there are numerous neat little gizmos invented for just that job, to separate the union between the metal and bone. Although it might be a bit of a struggle for the surgeon to get them out, it's not anything that should worry you as the end result of the hip replacement will be the same as anyone else's hip replacement.

Believe me, I have scrubbed for many of these conversions and the end result was great. One of the more satisfying procedures as we always knew the patients had mostly had a lifetime trying to cope with this dodgy hip and now it was going to be good again. For the first time in their lives, probably, the patient was going to be able to walk normally and pain free.

That's what I always loved about this kind of surgery - the rewards were/are fantastic for the patient and thus, vicariously, for us as well.

I'm sure your op will go well as most surgeons have coped with this before. It's a routine event and you will be fine. When you're done, come back and let us know how it went, ok? But if there is anything else you want to know, or just to come and chat, well, you know where we are now! Don't be a stranger!

 

[rebate]

Believe me, I have scrubbed for many of these conversions and the end result was great. One of the more satisfying procedures as we always knew the patients had mostly had a lifetime trying to cope with this dodgy hip and now it was going to be good again. For the first time in their lives, probably, the patient was going to be able to walk normally and pain free.

Thanks so much, Josephine!!! This response made me weep with relief! I was convincing myself that I had done irreparable damage by leaving the hardware in place. I didn't want to hear that I'd made, yet another, "bone-headed" decision (pun intended).

Thank you so much for your support. I'll be in touch as things move forward.