CLOSURE OF THE PHYSIS AFTER PINNING OF SLIPPED CAPITAL FEMORAL EPIPHYSIS

A study was conducted to determine what effect pinning in situ for slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) had on the timing of subsequent closure of the growth plate. Eighty-nine patients with a SCFE were reviewed. Twenty-six patients with a unilateral SCFE were treated with closed pinning in situ; no manipulative reductions were performed. The timing of physeal closure was assessed using postoperative radiographs of both pinned and non-pinned sides. The average time until physeal closure was 12.0 months for the pinned physis and 22.2 months for the non-pinned physis. In two cases, the physes closed simultaneously, and in no patient did the non-pinned physis close earlier than the pinned physis. The pinned physes closed an average of 10.2 months (range: 0 to 22) earlier than the unpinned physes. No difference was noted in the rates of closure with different types of internal fixation. This study supports the theory that pinning SCFE in situ causes early closure of the physis.