Variations in the pre-operative status of patients coming to primary hip replacement for osteoarthritis in European orthopaedic centres.

Background: Total hip joint replacement (THR) is a high volume, effective intervention for hip osteoarthritis (OA). However, indications and determinants of outcome remain unclear. The 'EUROHIP consortium' has undertaken a cohort study to investigate these questions.

Congenital dermal sinus tract in the lateral buttock: unusual presentation of a typically midline lesion.

Congenital dermal sinus tracts most commonly involve the midline and may communicate with the central nervous system. We present a 3-year-old girl with a pit in the upper lateral buttock noted since birth. Surgical exploration revealed a firm tract that dissipated in the gluteal fascia, and ultrasound confirmed the absence of any deeper extension.