At the municipal non-commercial enterprise of the Lviv Regional Council “Clinical Centre of Paediatric Medicine”, specialists treated a 9-year-old boy with Perthes disease and damage affecting up to 80% of the head of the femur. The child was brought to the doctors a few months after the first symptoms appeared – leg pain and limping – when the disease had already significantly damaged the hip joint.
Doctors explain that Perthes disease develops due to an insufficient blood supply to the head of the femur. Externally, the changes may be barely noticeable, yet the bone tissue inside is being destroyed. With extensive damage, there is a risk of joint deformity, limb shortening, persistent pain and restricted movement. In the boy treated at the centre, shortening of the leg had already begun to form.
The team of orthopaedic trauma surgeons led by Professor Oleksandr Korolkov used a modern, comprehensive approach. It included correcting the position of the hip joint, reducing the load on it, temporary fixation, as well as injecting the child’s own blood cells to stimulate the regeneration of bone tissue.
A year after the start of therapy, the doctors recorded a clearly positive dynamic: the head of the femur had regained its normal shape, there was no deformity, the length of the legs had evened out, and mobility in the joint had fully recovered. The boy now walks without pain or limping.
“Even I did not expect such rapid and complete recovery with 80% damage,” noted Professor Oleksandr Korolkov.
Specialists at the Clinical Centre of Paediatric Medicine emphasise that Perthes disease often begins with vague complaints – mild leg pain, discomfort in the hip area or a slight limp. If a child has such symptoms, parents are advised to consult an orthopaedic specialist as soon as possible, because timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent serious long-term consequences.