Twenty Years of Experience with the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy for Residual Acetabular Dysplasia

Abstract

Residual acetabular dysplasia is known as the most frequent cause of early osteoarthritis of the hip. The degeneration starts with overload of the rim, leading to a variety of pathologies. This change may cause the femoral head to migrate further out of the socket, resulting in a loss of congruity and generating even higher pressure point loading, which finally leads to rapid destruction of the joint. It is well accepted today that the surgical increase of the load transmission area can slow down this process of destruction and postpone total hip replacement (THR) substantially. Among the different techniques available, reorientation procedures allow for the most physiological correction of the joint mechanics. Our proposition is a reorientation procedure, which was first executed in 1984. Techniques and results have been published on several occasions. Under the name of the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy, the technique has gained popularity, especially in North America. Our 20 years’ experience performing this osteotomy through a modified Smith-Peterson approach without dissection of the abductors has clearly shown that confound appreciation of joint mechanics is the key to a successful result. Addressing acetabular retroversion and an insufficient femoral head/neck offset has helped to avoid postosteotomy impingement and significantly improved our results. Today, in our armentarium of surgical techniques to preserve the natural hip joint, the periacetabular osteotomy leads to the most predictable results.