Idiopathic coxa vara in childhood.

Abstract

Idiopathic coxa vara in children may be seen either as a congenital malformation or a developmental change in the proximal femur. In the literature, these cases are usually discussed under the headings “congenital coxa vara,” “infantile coxa vara,” “cervical coxa vara,” or “developmental coxa vara.” Idiopathic coxa vara in childhood was first described by Hofmeister (1) in 1894 and Kredel (2) in 1896. Reviews of the subject were published by Zadek (3) in 1935 and Babb, Ghormley, and Chatterton (4) in 1949. Many recent case reports and analyses of treatment have appeared in orthopedic and surgical journals (5–11) but few are to be found in the radiologic literature. Heublein, Bernstein, and Hubenet (12) include “congenital coxa vara” in a discussion of Hip Lesions of Infants and Children. Clark and Jacobson (13) consider the clinical and roentgen features of congenital coxa vara as indicative of an osteochondrodysplasia of the femoral neck. Brailsford (14) describes the radiographic features of the conditi...