Osteoarthritis of the hip in fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur

Deformity of the proximal femur in fibrous dysplasia leads to deviation of the mechanical axis of the hip, which may lead to the development of secondary osteoarthritis (OA). This study investigated the prevalence and predisposing factors for the development of OA in patients with fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur. We reviewed the records of 209 patients from our institutional database with fibrous dysplasia of the proximal femur, investigating possible predisposing factors including patient demographics, the extent of the coxa vara deformity, the presence of peri-articular disease, and the overall burden of skeletal disease. Of the 209 patients, 24 (12%) had radiological evidence of OA in the ipsilateral hip. The prevalence was significantly higher in patients with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia compared with those with monostotic disease (p < 0.001). In a subgroup analysis of patients with polyostotic disease, the extent of deformity (quantified using the neck–shaft angle), and the presence of peri-articular disease (whether in the head of the femur or the acetabulum) were significant predictors of osteoarthritis (neck–shaft angle likelihood ratio (LR) = 0.847 per 1° increase, p = 0.004; presence of lesion in the head of the femur LR = 9.947, p = 0.027; presence of lesion in the acetabulum LR = 11.231, p = 0.014).

Our data suggest that patients with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia have a high risk of developing secondary OA of the hips. This risk is higher in patients with peri-articular disease, and those with a more severe deformity of proximal femur.