Abstract
BACKGROUND: If asymptomatic acetabular dysplasia (AD) is incidentally identified in adolescence, it is difficult to determine the appropriate follow-up or treatment strategy because the acetabulum is still developing. We investigated the rate of AD normalization at the end of acetabular growth. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 653 patients (1306 hips) aged 10-14 years with scoliosis or suspected scoliosis. All patients underwent plain standing whole-spine radiography (with the pelvis included) at the first visit. We measured the lateral center-edge angle, Sharp angle, Tönnis angle, and acetabular head index on radiographs. The criterion for AD was a lateral center-edge angle of < 20°. We extracted the data of patients aged < 12 (10-11) years and ≥ 12 (12-14) years with AD. Furthermore, we analyzed the radiographic follow-up data at 15 years of age to identify the AD normalization rate. RESULTS: AD was diagnosed in 19 hips from patients aged < 12 years and in 36 hips from patients aged ≥ 12 years. The AD normalization rate at 15 years of age was 31.6% in those diagnosed at < 12 years of age and 5.6% in those diagnosed at ≥ 12 years of age. CONCLUSION: AD in adolescence was predictive of AD at the end of growth in 95% of cases diagnosed at ≥ 12 years of age compared with approximately 70% of cases diagnosed at < 12 years of age. Surgical treatment before completion of acetabular growth is beneficial for acetabular remodeling, but the decision to operate should be carefully evaluated in patients aged < 12 years. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-023-01065-4.