Assessment of the Hip Flexor Muscles Shortly after Curved Periacetabular Osteotomy using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Curved periacetabular osteotomy requires detachment and retraction of the hip flexors. In this study, we evaluated hip flexor muscle status by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shortly after curved periacetabular osteotomy.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 60 hips of 56 patients by MRI 1 week and 3 months after curved periacetabular osteotomy performed from August 2017 to December 2019. We classified the condition of the flexors as follows: Grade 0, normal; Grade I, strain/edema; Grade II, partial tear; and grade III, complete tear.

Results: At 1 week after surgery, the iliacus muscle was classified as grades I and II in 12.0 and 88.0% of hips; psoas as grades 0, I and II in 22.0, 72.0, and 6.0%; sartorius muscle as grades 0, I and II in 6.0, 62.0, and 32.0%; and rectus femoris muscle as grades 0 and I in 86.0 and 14.0%, respectively. At 3 months, 82.0, 88.0, and 96.0% of psoas, sartorius, and rectus femoris muscles, respectively, had improved to grade 0, whereas the iliacus was grades I and II in 94.0 and 6.0%, respectively. These changes in the iliacus muscle at 3 months were not significantly associated with patient characteristics, radiographic data, or clinical scores.

Conclusions: All the iliacus, 78% of psoas, 94% of sartorius, and 14% of rectus femoris muscles appeared abnormal on MRI 1 week after curved periacetabular osteotomy. However, at 3 months, only 18% of psoas, 12% of sartorius, and 4% of rectus femoris muscles appeared abnormal, whereas all iliacus muscles still appeared abnormal. These abnormalities did not significantly affect clinical scores.