Abstract
We treated 36 cases of developmental dislocation of the hip in 28 children between the ages of 4 months and 18 months and rechecked them after a mean follow-up period of 3 and a half years. We observed a success rate in closed reduction using overhead traction (OHT), and analyzed the relationship between the criteria of arthrography after reduction and the final radiographic results.
Twenty-seven of the hips (67%) could be corrected successfully by means of closed reduction, and open reduction was needed in 9 hips. Although a success rate of closed reduction by OHT was 80% (20 of 25 hips) in children less than 9 months old, it was 36% (4 of 11 hips) in children more than 9 months old. The shape of the limbus and the soft-tissue interposition at the acetabular floor were not directly related to the final radiological results.
We concluded that not only the antero-posterior view of arthrography but also the stability of the hip and the lateral view should be considered before performing open reduction. We further concluded that the skeletal maturity of the hip cannot be predicted through the findings of arthrography alone.
