Slipped capital femoral epiphysis in a healed Perthes hip

Abstract

Perthes disease and slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) in the same child is a rare occurrence. A 7-year-old boy with the left hip Perthes’ disease was managed with femur osteotomy. The femur head healed with a spherical congruent hip. After 3 years, he developed right tibia vara which was treated with growth modulation. The deformity was corrected after one and a half years. At age of 15 years, he presented with left side painful limp and typical features of SCFE. The left hip was managed with modified Dunn’s osteotomy. The hip range of movements was painless and near-normal range at final follow-up. Though this is the first case of ipsilateral SCFE following healed Perthes in a non-syndromic child, one must always consider SCFE in adolescents with hip or knee pain or altered gait, even if they have had other conditions like Perthes disease in the past.