This procedure is a salvage surgery. When hip displacement is identified at its late stages, the head of the femur (ball) may have already changed shape.
![CT of a dislocated hip with changes to the head of the femur](/Orthopaedics-Site/PublishingImages/Ctwithfemoralheadchanges.JPG)
When this happens reconstructive surgery is no longer possible and a salvage surgery may be the only option.
This procedure may be done to help alleviate any pain or discomfort in a dislocated hip.
Your child’s surgeon will make a cut on the outside of your child’s hip.
Your child’s surgeon removes the head of the femur and it is discarded.