Clohisy young adult hip radiographs

A systematic approach to the plain radiographic evaluation of the young adult hip.

Clohisy JC, Carlisle JC, Beaulé PE, et al. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2008 · PMID 18984718 · doi:10.2106/jbjs.h.00756

Question

What standardised radiographs and measurements should be used to evaluate structural hip disease in young adults?

Design

Expert-group review with reliability assessment of radiographic parameters.

Patients

Young adults presenting with hip pain due to suspected dysplasia, FAI or early arthritis.

Intervention

Standardised AP pelvis and lateral views with defined measurements

Comparison

None

Primary outcome

Recommended views and reliability of radiographic parameters

Key result

Recommended a well-centred AP pelvis plus lateral views (e.g. cross-table lateral, frog-leg, Dunn) and set out key measures such as lateral centre-edge angle, Tonnis angle, crossover sign and head-neck offset.

Limitations

Based on expert opinion; some parameters showed only moderate inter-observer reliability.

Impact on practice

Provides the standard checklist for reading radiographs of the young adult hip and distinguishing dysplasia from FAI before cross-sectional imaging.