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Legg-Calve-Perthes disease - Overview

Alternative Names

Coxa plana; Perthes disease

Definition of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease:

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is when the ball of the thighbone in the hip doesn't get enough blood, causing the bone to die.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease usually occurs in boys 4 - 10 years old. There are many theories about the cause of this disease, but little is actually known.

Without enough blood to the area, the bone dies. The ball of the hip will collapse and become flat. Usually only one hip is affected, although it can occur on both sides.

The blood supply returns over several months, bringing in new bone cells. The new cells gradually replace the dead bone over 2 - 3 years.

Blood supply to bone

Reviewed last on: 9/16/2010
Sameer Patel, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Gough-Palmer A, McHugh K. Investigating hip pain in a well child. BMJ. 2007;334:1216-1217.

Hosalkar HS, Horn D, Friedman JE, Dormans JP. The hip. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap. 677.

Osteoarthritis

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