Purpose of the study: The management of DDH in infants less than one year old is not yet definite. Many ambulant therapeutic methods are described and Pavlik's harness is widely employed. The use of Petit's splints is less well known and we report our experience with 169 cases.
Material and method: Between 1973 and 1991, Petit's splints were used in 112 cases, following abduction cushions in 55 cases and after Pavlik's harness in 2 cases. 103 hips were dislocated but reducible. This permitted progressive abduction of the hips in order to obtain the reduction of the dislocation and to ensure stabilization by retraction of the slack articular capsule.
Results: Only 8 dislocations (4,7 per cent) couldn't be reduced by this procedure and necessitated another treatment. Hips were normal after 5 years of follow up in 118 cases and there were 43 residual dysplasias. 6 post reductional avascular necrosis (3,7 per cent) were recorded as a complication of this method among which only one was a serlous from.
Discussion: This ambulatory method for treatment of congenital hip dislocation seems to be forsaken by many authors. Nevertheless its effectiveness has been demonstrated with a complication rate lower than with Pavlik's harness procedure.