CONGENITAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP IN TWINS - ULTRASOUND EVALUATION

The narrow mechanical environment in utero present in condition such a s oligohydamnios, primiparity and gemellarity have been advocated as p ossible concauses of Congenital Displasia of the Hip (CDH). The aim of the study was to compare the incidence of CDH in newborn twins and in a general population of newborns. Ultrasound evaluation has been perf ormed on 144 hips from 72 newborn twins and on 274 hips from the contr ol group babies, included in the study only if CDH risk factor free. T he hips were divided according to Graf's classification as follows: - in the twins group, type I was 93.1%, type IIa 5.5%, type IIb 1.4%; th ere were no types IIc, D, III, IV - in the control group, type I was 8 5.3%, type IIa 10.8%, type Ilb 1.4%; the total number of hips classifi ed as type IIc-D-IIIa were 2.5%. The results show that there is no sta tistical difference in the incidence of CDH between newborn twins and general population of infants in which no other risk factors for CDH w ere present.