Nine hips in eight patients were available at a mean follow-up of 31.5 years for participation in a retrospective functional and radiographic analysis for the purpose of examining the late effects of infantile septic hip arthritis in a group untouched by reconstructive hip surgery. Results suggest that reconstructive efforts following hip joint sepsis designed for relocation of an inadequate femoral head for persistent dislocation or for transference of the greater trochanteric epiphysis into the acetabulum may not yield results comparable to nonoperative treatment.