Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCPD)
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease, commonly called Perthes disease, is a hip abnormality in which the ball of the hip gets irregular and flat, due to a temporary loss of blood flow. The cause is truly unknown. However, it may be associated with blood clotting problems, or with exposure to cigarette smoking. It commonly occurs in boys between two and ten years of age, although it can also occur in girls.
Perthes Disease commonly presents as a painless limp or knee pain. Less often there is a complaint of hip pain. X-rays confirm the diagnosis, although occasionally a bone scan or an MRI is necessary.
The patient is instructed to decrease running, jumping and pounding activities to decrease stress on the hip. If the hip becomes too stiff or starts to come out of the socket, reconstructive surgery is needed to improve the range of motion and position of the hip.
Surgery may be performed in multiple stages, depending on the age, degree of stiffness and amount of the hip not covered by the socket.
Contact Us
If you need to reach the Orthopaedic Nurse before 4 pm, Monday through Friday, please call 513-636-4567. After 4 pm, and during weekends and holidays, please call 513-636-4200, and ask that the Orthopaedic Resident on call be paged.
Rev. 7/07
