Introduction

Some children may have conditions that affect the hip joint.

The hip joint is made up of:

• the femoral head – the round top of the thigh bone
• the acetabulum – the cup-shared socket in the pelvis where the femoral head sits. 

Some children have health conditions that cause the sockets of their hip joints to be very shallow and flat. Dislocation means the femoral head easily moves in and out of the socket. If the femoral head moves out of the socket and stays out, the hip will not grow normally.

Dega or pelvic osteotomy is a procedure used to: 

• correct hips that are not developing properly 
• correct hip dislocation
• prevent hip dislocation
• reduce pain in the hip. 

Your child’s treatment team will let you know if any tests or scans need to be done and whether they need to see a physiotherapist or occupational therapist before the procedure

The hospital will call you before your child’s procedure to let you know:

• what time you need to arrive
• when your child needs to stop eating and drinking
• how long your child may need to stay in the hospital.

You may also want to tell:

• your child’s school of their surgery
• your workplace that you may need time off around the surgery
• friends and family who may be able to help out while your child is recovering.

Your child will be under a general anaesthetic for the operation, which means they will be asleep and will not feel any pain.

In the dega osteotomy: 

1. a cut is made into the pelvis above the socket of the hip joint 
2. the top part of the flat hip socket is turned down to create a more cup-like shape, which fits better around the bone and holds it in the correct position
3. the new position of the socket is held with a small block of bone taken from the thigh or the top part of the pelvis. 

The procedure can be done on one or both hips if needed.

After the procedure, your child will be given pain medicine. In hospital, pain management is provided through either:

• a nerve block
• a drip
• oral medicine.

Your child’s doctor will let you know when they can go home from the hospital. This will depend on: 

• their recovery 
• how strong the bone is 
• whether any other procedures were done at the same time.

Your child’s doctor will let you know when they can put weight on their leg after surgery. This could be between 4-6 weeks after surgery.

Your child may be fitted with a foam wedge or a Newport brace to keep their legs apart while the hips heal.