Idiopathic chondrolysis of the hip

The radiographic changes in nine cases of chondrolysis of the hip joint are described. The series consists of eight Negro girls and one Indian girl, whose ages ranged from eleven to eighteen years. The incidence of periarticular osteoporosis, joint space narrowing, erosion of articular cortex, femoral head enlargement, increase in width of the femoral neck and growth plate narrowing are reported. The difficulty in the diagnosis of chronic monarticular disease of the hip is stressed and the observed changes are discussed with particular reference to monarticular rheumatoid arthritis. The material presented supports the view that ‘chondrolysis of the hip’ is a distinct entity.