Introduction and objectives: Determination of the efficacy of an early ultrasound examination followed by immediate treatment of hip joint dysplasia as well as measuring the therapeutic success in a population-based cohort study of neonates.
Material and methods: The Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP) study included 4,093 neonates which represents 95.1 % of the total neonatal population. Of these children 2,534 (61.9 %) underwent ultrasound examination of the hip joint during the U2 stage (3-10 days after birth). The mean gestational age was 38.9 weeks. The sonographic classification was performed according to Graf.
Results: Initially (U2 stage) 42 (1.66 %) children were reported to be in need of therapy (stage IIc or higher according to Graf). The analysis showed a significantly higher incidence in girls (32 girls vs. 10 boys, p < 0.023, χ(2) test) and in children who had a breech birth (116, 4.6 %). A genetic predisposition was ascertained in 180 (7.1 %) children. The children could be subdivided into two groups: 1) children who underwent hip joint ultrasound during both U2 and U3 and 2) children who were first screened at the U3 stage. Of the 49 out of 54 neonates where the ultrasound findings were positive at the U2 examination the hip joint was matured in 32 children at U3 (4-8 weeks), 11 children had to be treated for 8-12 weeks 5 children were treated for over 3 months and1 child needed surgical correction.
Conclusion: The early diagnosis of hip maturation disorders and joint dysplasia facilitates early implementation of effective treatment. At our clinic over 60 % of the infants underwent the U2 check up and, given a pathological finding, could undergo early treatment. It was possible to successfully treat 78 % of these children with a Tübingen hip flexion splint in just 4-8 weeks. In contrast, infants who were first examined at the U3 stage needed treatment for 4-12 months. In our opinion, early diagnosis at the age of 3-10 days should be carried out for all newborns.