Orthopedic and ultrasound assessment of hip stability of newborns referred by pediatricians with suspected Developmental Dysplasia.

ABSTRACT Objective: to evaluate newborns with suspected hip instability, referred by pediatricians to a tertiary orthopedic service. Methods: newborns from a public university maternity hospital, with suspected instability or risk factors for hip dysplasia, were referred to the Department of Orthopedics and Anesthesiology, Ribeirão Preto/SP, where we evaluated them clinically and through ultrasound examinations of the hips. Once we found dysplasia, we initiated treatment, and in cases in which there was only hip immaturity and normal clinical examination, we performed clinical and ultrasound observation and review at two or three months of age. Results: we examined 448 newborns, with female predominance and average age at first evaluation of 27 days. The main cause of referral was pelvic presentation at delivery. In 8% there was a positive Ortolani sign and in 12.5%,. At orthopedic examination, 405 (90.5%) patients were normal, 8.5% had hip click and 1.1% had positive Ortolani test. At ultrasound, 368 (89.5%) had immaturity, 26 (6.3%) had moderate dysplasia and in 17 (4.1%) patients the hips were frankly dysplastic. All cases with positive Ortolani sign showed dysplasia at ultrasound. Conclusion: there was an excess diagnosis of hip instability in the pediatrician evaluation, which, however, allowed the patient a second assessment, in a more specialized environment and with more technological resources.