Joint space widening in XXXX of the hip.

@entity11665 @entity1 @entity4713
BACKGROUND: One of the radiographic findings in @entity11665 of the hip is widening of the joint space between the femoral head and the acetabulum, although the cause and sequelae of the widening are unclear. METHODS: Between May 1991 and June 2005, twenty-one @entity1 with @entity11665 of the hip were treated with open @entity4713 . Joint space widening was assessed on radiographs made preoperatively, immediately after surgery, and at the time of follow-up. The changes of the radiographic joint space width were evaluated during the mean follow-up period of 5.9 years (range, 2.3 to 12.3 years). RESULTS: Twelve @entity1 had joint space widening on preoperative radiographs of the hip. Medial joint space widening was seen in three @entity1 , and both medial and superior joint space widening was evident in nine @entity1 . Compared with the medial and superior joint spaces in the unaffected, contralateral hip, those in the affected hip were wider by an average of 44.7% and 35.9%, respectively. The medial joint space widths of the affected hip decreased slightly during the early postoperative period; however, widened joint spaces were persistent at the final follow-up visit, without other important changes. The superior joint space widths did not show substantial changes throughout the postoperative follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Joint space widening is a recognized radiographic finding in primary @entity11665 of the hip. Although there was persistence of joint space widening after synovectomy in all @entity1 , this joint space widening did not influence the clinical results at the time of follow-up.
