Prognosis
The younger the Perthes' disease patient is, the better the prognosis.
Indices of a poor prognosis include:
- onset beyond the age of 8 years (1)
- involvement of the whole femoral head
- pronounced metaphyseal rarefaction
- lateral displacement of the femoral head
- prognosis is also worse in girls (1) - this may be because girls achieve skeletal maturity at an earlier age (1)
Inadequate treatment may worsen the prognosis; however the normal outcome is gradual healing over two or three years.
Reference:
- GP magazine (26/1/04), 41.
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