Skip to main content
0:28
Published August 24, 2021

Pemberton Pericapsular Osteotomy for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip and Hip Dislocation – Honorable Mention

The Pemberton pericapsular osteotomy is performed to manage acetabular deficiency in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). This incomplete osteotomy is typically performed in children aged 18 months to 8 years. Advantages of this technique include the option to perform bilateral procedures in one procedure, the lack of pin fixation, increased capacity for correction, and a brief learning curve. However, the procedure must be performed in early childhood to allow sufficient time for remodeling to create congruity with the femoral head. Complications include excessive bleeding postoperatively, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) lesions, and belt line pain. The senior author (S.L.W.) used this procedure for almost 40 years in otherwise normal DDH as well as in neuromuscular patients, with satisfactory results. The video shows step by step the timeline of the procedure, beginning from the incision (ie, bikini incision) made just distal and parallel to the anterior superior iliac spine. Key points, such as the LFCN isolation or the correct use of Cobb elevators to expose the anterior inferior iliac spine, are clearly shown. Moreover, we show how fluoroscopic imaging aids in determining the osteotomy cut, in addition to a wide and clear explanation, with several different views of the osteotomy itself. The cast is applied with the hip in approximately 30° of flexion, 30° of abduction, and neutral rotation and remains in place for 6 weeks. The results reported in the literature are excellent, and satisfactory results were achieved in our series over a 10-year period (mean follow-up, 4.5 years).