Perthes disease is a disease that develops as a result of the disruption of the blood supply of the head of the thighbone (femur), which is involved in the formation of the hip joint, and may cause early calcification or limping by disrupting the harmony of the hip joint in the future. Although the cause of the disease is still being investigated, the exact cause is unknown.
This disease may either involve one hip or, more rarely, both hips.
Typical symptoms are insidious onset and gradually increasing hip pain, limping, and spreading of pain to the knee. Therefore, it is a disease that should be considered in the resistant knee and hip pains, or a mild limping during childhood.
The treatment of this disease is determined by the extent of the hip involvement. The level of the hip involvement is determined by the imaging methods such as x-ray, scintigraphy and MRI. The disease has a better prognosis in younger children as the femoral head is more likely to regain its shape, whereas the self-healing capacity of the disease is less in children over 8 years old. There are various treatment methods, depending on both the age of the child and the extent of femoral head involvement. In the treatment, simple methods such as avoidance of the traumatic effects of the child can be used, as well as more difficult methods such as bone surgeries to ensure the harmony of the hip joint.
With the follow-up and treatments applied in the experienced pediatric orthopedic clinics, the self-healing potential of the child is utilized, and surgical interventions are applied when necessary and the disease may be treated with the best results.