Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) is a condition occurring only during adolescence, when there is rapid growth, during which time there can be a progressive or an acute slip of femoral head epiphysis from the femoral neck. Untreated SCFE can eventually lead to osteoarthritis of the hip. The goal of treatment is to arrest the progression of SCFE, with the hope of avoiding or delaying avascular necrosis and secondary osteoarthritis. Pin or screw fixation has become the popular treatment of choice, but this operation is not without its complications.1,2 Also, even after successful treatment of SCFE with arrest of slip progression with surgery, screw removal can be particularly challenging. We report 3 cases of difficult screw removal, the technique of screw extraction, and recommend a specific screw design for SCFE.
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