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Contact the study team using the details below to take part. If there are no contact details below please ask your doctor in the first instance.
Prof
Daniel
Perry
+44 (0)151 282 4661
danperry@liverpool.ac.uk
More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE)
This information is provided directly by researchers, and we recognise that it isn't always easy to understand. We are working with researchers to improve the accessibility of this information. In some summaries, you may come across links to external websites. These websites will have more information to help you better understand the study.
A slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a rare condition but is one of the most important children’s and adolescent hip disorders. SCFE is the most common reason for hip replacement surgery in adolescence and early adulthood. The number of children and young people with this condition is increasing, as there is strong evidence to suggest it is principally caused by obesity. A survey of almost 100 surgeons from the British Society for Children’s Orthopaedic Surgery prioritised this as their most important research question.
The simplest explanation of the disease is to imagine the hip like a ball of ice cream (the top of the hip) on an ice cream cone (the thigh bone). As a result of the disease, the ice cream ball could melt and slip a little away from the cone (minor slip) or slip a lot (severe slip) or could just come loose from the cone completely (unstable slip). Unstable slips are particularly worrisome as the supply of blood, which gives the bone nutrition and oxygen to remain healthy, could stop completely, which may cause the whole hip to die (with the ice cream ball becoming very squashed).
The treatment of SCFE always involves surgery to stabilise the slip, however, which type of surgery is necessary depends on how bad the slip is. In mild slips, surgery involves inserting a screw using keyhole surgery, to stop the hip slipping any more (this is called ‘stabilising’). For severe slips, where the hip bone is most deformed, doctors currently can choose between two types of operation and it is not clear whether one is better than the other. The first treatment option is inserting a screw through keyhole surgery (stabilising but not putting the ice cream back on the cone) and accepting that the shape of the hip has changed. This may cause problems with walking and may risk later osteoarthritis. The second option is to correct the slip through major surgery (stabilising and putting the ice cream back on the cone). However, this could make the hip unstable and carries a risk that the hip bone may disintegrate (i.e., a very squashed ice cream) causing disability.
The main aim of the study is to determine whether children treated with acute correction have improved function compared with children treated with pinning in situ after 2 years.
Start dates may differ between countries and research sites. The research team are responsible for keeping the information up-to-date.
The recruitment start and end dates are as follows:
2024 Other publications in https://doi.org/10.1302/0301-620X.106B2.BJJ-2023-1027 Editorial (added 01/02/2024)
You can take part if:
You may not be able to take part if:
1. There is evidence that the patient and/or parent/guardian would be unable to adhere to trial procedures or complete follow-up2. The patient has previously been enrolled into the Big Boss Study
Below are the locations for where you can take part in the trial. Please note that not all sites may be open.
Prof
Daniel
Perry
+44 (0)151 282 4661
danperry@liverpool.ac.uk
More information about this study, what is involved and how to take part can be found on the study website.
The study is sponsored by Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and funded by NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Co-ordinating Centre (NETSCC); Grant Codes: NIHR131176.
Your feedback is important to us. It will help us improve the quality of the study information on this site. Please answer both questions.
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You can print or share the study information with your GP/healthcare provider or contact the research team directly.
