Osteochondritis Dissecans of Femoral Head Following Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

Osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral head following Legg-Calve-Perthes disease has been considered a rare complication. Catterall, in 1982, reviewed the literature and found only 54 reported cases proving the relative rarity of this condition. Of the 363 hips with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease treated at the Chonnam University Hospital for 15 years from 1973 to 1987, osteochondritis dissecans of the femoral head developed in seven(1.9%). The seven patients with osteochondritis dissecans were male and over seven years old at the time of diagnosis of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease. Since six patients had nearly silent hip, treatment was not advised. In remaining one patient, the lesion was drilled and grafted with bone chips. Spontaneous healing of osteochondritis dissecans was observed in three patients.