Treatment of congenital dislocation of the hip after neonatal diagnosis

During 1966-1975, 920 infants with a congenital dislocation of the hip diagnosed neonatally were born in Uusimaa county in southern Finland. The first examination of the hips was made by a pediatrician, but the diagnosis was generally confirmed by a pediatric surgeon before treatment was started. The mean age of beginning treatment was 7 days. An abduction pillow was the only treatment in 852 cases, six of whom later developed complications, notably two with avascular necrosis. The duration of the pillow treatment shortened noticeably during the time under review but this caused no increase in the number of failures. In 64 cases the routine pillow treatment could not be carried through, mostly because the hip dislocated on the pillow. The most apparent reason for this was inappropriate control of the pillow by the parents. In this group bilateral dislocations and associated calcaneovalgus feet were found more often than in the rest of the neonatal group. Non-operative treatment was successful in 96 per cent of the 920 cases.