Closed Reduction as Therapeutic Gold Standard for Treatment of Congenital Hip Dislocation

Congenital hip dislocation (luxation) has an incidence of 0.4 - 0.7% and is regarded as a prearthrotic deformity. Thus, if not being diagnosed and treated at a very early age, extensive surgical measures are inevitable in childhood and early adulthood.

In the time between 01/2013 and 02/2019 we performed 28 600 hips sonographies in babies as part of general screening measures at U2 or U3. There were 71 instable, dysplastic or dislocated hips diagnosed that were treated by arthrographic, closed reduction. After a hip spica cast was applied, reposition was controlled by MRI, estimating the acetabular head index (ACI), the head coverage index (HCI) as well as the femoral head's sphericity or by sonography using the Graf method.

Overall success rate was 91.6% for primary closed reduction. Patients with primarily irreducible hips were significantly older (p < 0.003) than patients with primarily successful reducible hips. Congenital dislocated hips had significantly higher ACIs (p < 0.001) and HCIs (p = 0.03) as well as significantly less well rounded femoral heads (sphericity; p < 0.001) compared to stable hips.

Early diagnosis and treatment of congenital dislocated hips by closed reduction is essential for a sufficient and regular maturation of the hips without further surgical interventions.