What is a SCFE?

What is a SCFE?

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) a disorder of adolescents in which the growth plate is damaged and the femoral head moves (“slips”) with respect to the rest of the femur. The head of the femur stays in the cup of the hip joint while the rest of the femur is shifted.

Is SCFE an emergency?

SCFE is usually an emergency and must be diagnosed and treated early. In 20 to 40 percent of affected children, SCFE will be present in both hips at the time the child is diagnosed. If only one hip is affected, the other hip will eventually slip 30 to 60 percent of the time. Treatment is surgical.

How do you test for SCFE?

SCFE is diagnosed through physical exam including rotation of the affected leg, observation while walking and X-rays. A MRI may be ordered if the diagnosis is not able to be made with X-rays and your healthcare provider still suspects your child has SCFE.

How do you pin a SCFE?

Place cannulated screw

1. use the cannulated drill over the guidewire.
2. stop the drill 1 or 2 mm before the tip of the guidewire.
3. drill must cross the physis.
4. place a 6.5 mm to a 7.3 mm cannulated screw over the guidewire.
5. remove the guidewire.
6. single screw fixation is usually favorable.

How do you treat SCFE?

SCFE is always treated with surgery to stabilize the growth plate that slipped. But even before the surgery, the doctor will try to prevent any further slipping by encouraging rest and the use of crutches to avoid putting weight on the affected leg.

What is a Skiffy in the hip?

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE; pronounced “skiffy”) is when the top of the thighbone slips out of place. To understand SCFE, it helps to know a little about what the hip joint looks like. The top part of the thighbone is shaped like a ball (femoral head).

How is Southwick angle calculated?

Southwick, a famous surgeon. The angle is measured on a frog lateral view of the bilateral hips. It is measured by drawing a line perpendicular to a line connecting two points at the posterior and anterior tips of the epiphysis at the physis. A third line is drawn down the axis of femur.

What is in situ pinning?

The gold standard of treatment of stable slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE) is pinning in situ. This is usually carried out by general orthopaedic surgeons using a traction table and an image intensifier that is pivoted around the patient.

What happens if SCFE goes untreated?

Untreated SCFE may result in progressive deformity and pain, destabilization of the femoral epiphysis, and decreased range of motion of the hip joint.

How rare is SCFE?

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is the most common hip disorder in adolescents, occurring in 10.8 per 100,000 children. SCFE usually occurs in those eight to 15 years of age and is one of the most commonly missed diagnoses in children.

How painful is SCFE?

A stable SCFE causes some stiffness or pain in the knee or groin area, and possibly a limp that causes a child to walk with a foot outward. The pain and the limp may come and go, and may get worse with activity and better with rest. With a stable SCFE, a child still can walk, even if they need to use crutches.

What happens if SCFE is not treated?