Evaluation of the three-dimensional bony coverage before and after rotational acetabular osteotomy

Purpose Rotational acetabular osteotomy is a type of pelvic osteotomy that involves rotation of the acetabular bone to improve the bony coverage of the femoral head for patients with acetabular dysplasia. Favourable post-operative long-term outcomes have been reported in previous studies. However, there is a paucity of published data regarding three-dimensional bony coverage. The present study investigated the three-dimensional bony coverage of the acetabulum covering the femoral head in hips before and after rotational acetabular osteotomy and in normal hips. Methods The computed tomography data of 40 hip joints (12 joints before and after rotational acetabular osteotomy; 16 normal joints) were analyzed. The three-dimensional bony coverage of each joint was evaluated using original software. Results The post-operative bony coverage improved significantly compared with pre-operative values. In particular, the anterolateral aspect of the acetabulum tended to be dysplastic in patients with acetabular dysplasia compared to those with normal hip joints. However, greater bony coverage at the anterolateral aspect was obtained after rotational acetabular osteotomy. Meanwhile, the results of the present study may indicate that the bony coverage in the anterior aspect may be excessive. Conclusion Three-dimensional analysis indicated that rotational acetabular osteotomy achieved favorable bony coverage. Further investigations are necessary to determine the ideal bony coverage after rotational acetabular osteotomy.