Clinical and sonographic improvement of developmental dysplasia of the hip: analysis of 948 patients

Length of treatment and ultrasound timing in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip

PURPOSE

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) joint is a complex condition that may lead to severe problems. Ultrasound scan (USS) in the first four-to-six weeks of life is considered the gold-standard for diagnosis while the Pavlik harness (PH) is a widely utilized method as first-line treatment. The purpose of this study is to compare clinical outcomes of infants with DDH in relation to the timing and frequency of USS following application of the PH.

METHODS

Retrospective data were collected over a 5-year period from February 2017 to February 2022. We included patients who underwent the first USS post-diagnosis and PH application in two, three, four and six weeks. Two-hundred-twenty-five patients were included and divided in four groups according to timing of the first follow-up: week-2, n = 13; week-3, n = 66; week-4, n = 95; and week-6, n = 51. For every patient Graf classification, treatment length and number of follow-ups were documented.

RESULTS

Week-3 and week-4 groups displayed a statistically significant shorter treatment length compared to week-6 group (p value < 0.001), while also demonstrating a lower number of sonographic follow-ups per patient compared to both week-6 (p value < 0.001) and week-2 (p value = 0.002 vs week-3; p value < 0.001 vs week 4). Week-4 group presented the highest treatment completion (56%) on first visit post-diagnosis. Conservative treatment with PH failed in 1.8% (4/225) and displayed no significant difference among all subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

Differences in timing of first USS post-DDH diagnosis and initiation of treatment can lead to discrete outcomes with implications to the clinical outcome and cost effectiveness.

Costs of abduction treatment in developmental dysplasia of the hip. Analysis of 900 patients

BACKGROUND

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a disorder of hip development that leads to dysplasia, subluxation, or total hip dislocation. Early detection of DDH is important, and early initiation of abduction treatment is key to successful correction of the hip joint. However, mild forms of DDH, including hip instability without complete dislocation, have good spontaneous healing potential, and a watchful waiting strategy in mild DDH has been found to be safe. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cost differences between different treatment strategies for DDH.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of all children diagnosed with diagnosis and treatment of DDH in Tampere University hospital between 1998 and 2018. In total, 948 patients were included in the study. Patients who underwent casting or operative treatment (n = 48) were excluded from the analysis. All Ortolani positive children were subjected to early abduction treatment. Children with Ortolani negative DDH were subjected to either watchful waiting or early abduction treatment, based on the clinicians' decision. The regression model estimates for the number of clinical visits with and without ultrasound examination were assessed together with cost reports from Tampere University Hospital for the calculation of savings per patient in spontaneous recovery.

RESULTS

Alpha angles at one month of age (p < 0.001) and treatment method (p < 0.001) affected the number of clinical visits and ultrasound examinations during the treatment follow-up. A low alpha angle predicted closer follow-up, and children with spontaneous recovery had lower numbers of clinical visits and ultrasound examinations than children in abduction treatment. Spontaneous recovery was found to result in approximately 375€/patient savings compared to successful abduction treatment.

CONCLUSION

With correct patient selection, a watchful waiting strategy is cost-effective in treating mild developmental dysplasia of the hip, considering the high percentage of spontaneous recovery.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants younger than six months: Ultrasonographic assessment in relation with risk factors

Objectives

In newborns, developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is an abnormal development of the hip joint but its accurate detection is challenging. This study was designed to determine an accurate detection of DDH and their associated risk factors in infants younger than 6 months using sonographic and clinical examinations.

Methods

Infants younger than 6 months (n = 404) with their hip instability were recruited. Infants' hips were examined by ultrasonographic and clinical examinations. Ultrasonographic data were accessed in relation with the risk factors. Omni calculator was used to measure sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.

Results

Out of 808 hips, 97.3% hips were categorized as Graf I type, 1.4% hips were Graf type IIa, 0.87% were type IIb, and 0.49% were type IIc. The data revealed that 93.9% hips were congruous and 6.1% hips were immature. Importantly, the data showed that risk factors such as mode of delivery, breech presentation, oligohydramnios, family history, and malformations were proportionally associated with positive DDH cases. Interestingly, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasonography in relation with clinical positivity of DDH infants were 51.83%, 99.43%, and 73.16%, respectively.

Conclusions

This study proved that ultrasonographic assessments are highly sensitive, specific and accurate for the detection of DDH onset in infants younger than 6 months. In addition, the study investigated a number of risk factors associated with the onset of DDH; therefore, it is extremely important that ultrasonography and clinical examination should be performed by those sonographers and orthopedic surgeons, who will have the knowledge of associated risk factors.