Abstract
Developmental dysplasia of the hip presents different presentations and its treatment depends on early detection. 2975 patients younger than 6-month-old with hip ultrasonographies were studied between March 1998 and March 2001. In 26 patients, 33 ultrosonographically pathologic hips were detected and treated. 81% of the treated hips (27 patients) returned to their normal position before the 3rd week, only 6 remained dislocated and underwent surgical resolution. Patients with dislocated hips required an average of 12 week to complete the treatment protocol. Hip instability and subluxed hips healed between the 6th and 8th weeks. Those patients who began their treatment at one month old (10 hips – 33%) obtained the best results. To conclude, we agree with others authors on the effectiveness of the ultrasonographic method for early diagnoses and its use along treatment.
