HIP ABNORMALITIES DETECTED BY ULTRASOUND IN CLINICALLY NORMAL NEWBORN-INFANTS

We have followed the natural progress of newborn infants in whom ultra sound examination showed abnormalities in hips which appeared to be cl inically normal, Over six years we saw 306 such children out of 9952 e xamined (31 per 1000 live births), The examination was repeated at two to three months and those who still showed an abnormality were follow ed up further, At four to five months a standard radiograph was obtain ed, and treatment began if this and another ultrasound scan were both abnormal, At this stage, 291 infants had normal hips, fn the 15 infant s with abnormal hips there was no pronounced deterioration, none devel oped a frank dislocation, and all became normal after treatment in an abduction splint, Newborn infants with abnormal and suspicious ultraso und findings who are normal on clinical examination do not need treatm ent from birth; most of these hips will settle spontaneously, Treatmen t can be postponed until the age of four to five months unless clinica l instability develops or ultrasound shows dislocation, The criteria f or treatment should be based on measurements by both ultrasound and ra diography: both should show an abnormality before intervention is cons idered necessary.