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Cam deformities likely to develop during skeletal growth, study finds
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Cam deformities are a significant risk factor for hip osteoarthritis and have been found to develop during skeletal maturation, according to recently published data.
Cam deformities “…are probably stable from the time of growth plate closure,” Rintje Agricola, MSc, and colleagues wrote in their study. “The formation of a cam deformity might be prevented by adjusting athletic activities during a small period of skeletal growth, which will have a major effect on the prevalence of hip osteoarthritis.”
Researchers studied 63 soccer players with a mean age of 14.43 years who participated both at baseline and follow-up for a mean of 2.4 years. Standardized anteroposterior and frog-leg lateral radiographs were obtained at both points. For each hip, alpha angle measurements were taken and the anterosuperior head-neck junction was classified by a 3-point visual system as normal, flattened or having prominence. The amount of internal hip rotation, growth plate extension into the neck, and neck shaft angle were also determined.
Significant increases were noted in the prevalence of a cam deformity during follow-up. In boys aged 12 years and 13 years at baseline, the prevalence of a flattened head-neck junction increased significantly (13.6% to 50.0%) during follow-up. All hips with an open growth plate at baseline increased from 2.1% to 17.7% in the prevalence of a prominence. No significant increase in the prevalence or severity of a cam deformity was noted following closure of the proximal femoral growth plate.
The alpha angle increased from 59.4° at baseline to 61.3° at final follow-up, while the amount of growth plate extension was associated with α angle and hip classification. Both limited internal rotation and small neck shaft angle and were associated with cam deformities while significantly predicting formation of cam deformities (alpha angle >60°) at final follow-up.
“A better understanding of the time frame in which a cam deformity develops may lead to the development of preventive measures,” Agricola wrote in their study. — by Christian Ingram
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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