[Echography of the hip in children]

Ultrasonography has emerged in recent literature as a reliable technique to visualise the infant hip. Its advantages are that non-osseous structures can be seen as well as bone, that a dynamic investigation can be performed, and that it lacks ionising radiation. This article describes the results of a screening study in 307 newborns. 13.4% of all clinically normal (stable) hips showed ultrasound abnormalities. 96.3% of these normalised spontaneously, however. Apparently the natural history of ultrasound abnormalities at birth is relatively mild. Furthermore, in a group of older children, Graf's alpha angle was related to the acetabular index on the radiograph. There was no linear relationship, but a tendency was noted to find higher (better) alpha angles together with lower (better) acetabular indices. Possibly ultrasound is superior to standard radiography in depicting subtle disturbances in ossification of the lateral edge of the acetabulum.