Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Neonatal screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip on the maternity wards in Crete, Greece. Correlation to risk factors
Objective: To evaluate the effects of ultrasound examination of newborns in early detection and management of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), and its correlation to known risk factors. The incidence of DDH in newborns throughout the general population of Crete has also been investigated. Methods: From 1996 to 2000, 6,140 full-term newborns were examined in the Maternity Department of the University Hospital. All received standard assessments, with their medical history recorded, and a physical examination performed on the first and the fifth postpartum days. Ultrasonography of both hips using the Graf technique was performed on the 15th day after birth on both highrisk newborns and those with any clinical suspicion of DDH. Treatment was initiated according to the Graf classification. Results: Ultrasound examination was performed on 220 newborns (3.58%). Ultrasound findings were positive in 65 neonates (10.83 per 1,000). Twenty-one neonates whose clinical examination was normal, but who underwent ultrasound because of the presence of risk factors had pathological findings on the hip sonography (32.30%) Conclusion: The incidence of DDH in Crete is estimated to be 10.83 per 1,000; higher than in the rest of Greece. Medical and family histones and clinical examination play an important role m the diagnosis of hip instability. Selective ultrasonography for all infants with risk factors, and those with clinical abnormality of the hip, is an adjunctive tool which aids early diagnosis and offers
higher control in the results of treatment.