2002 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 143-146
We studied 85 hips of 76 patients (74 woman, 2 men) affected by congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) that were followed-up for more than 6 years treated only with the Pavlik harness. The average follow-up was 3.4 months (1 week to 10 months), and the average age of the patients at the last follow-up was 112 months (72 to 228 months). Severin’s classification, α angle at the first medial examination, severity of dislocation, the time when treatment was started, and the perioid until reduction of the dislocation were investigated. Satisfactory results (classes I and II of Severin’s classification) were obtained in 82%, and unsatisfactory results (classes III and IV of Severin’s classification) obtained in 18%. Avascular necrosis of the femoral head was 12% (10 hips). Although there was a significant difference (P < 0.05 : Mann-Whitney U test) in the α angle between classes I and II, and between classes III and IV, there were no significant differences in other factors between the two pairs of groups (Fisher’s exact probability test). It was conclueded that factors influencing the mid-term results of CDH reduced by Pavlik harness were not clarified, although α angel at the first examination might have influenced the results in our cases.
