Orthopedic assessment of the hips in newborns after initial pediatric survey

Abstract

Objective: To analyze and follow-up patients previously selected by pediatricians at the time of birth who presented altered initial physical examination results to identify the pathological changes in their hips. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving 34 newborns (68 hips) out of a total of 1273 live births; these infants were assessed within the first days of life as altered findings were noted in the initial examination by the pediatrician. The results of clinical and ultrasonographic examination performed using the GRAF method and of specific treatments were analyzed. Results: Of the 68 hips in 34 patients, 2 hips in 2 patients required intervention using the Pavlik harness for 8 weeks; a satisfactory treatment outcome was obtained in both cases. Conclusions: Despite the low orthopedic workload in medical courses, it was possible to identify data consistent with the literature, both in the presentation of clinical findings and in those that required treatment, indicating that an initial evaluation of all newborns is mandatory, especially those with risk factors. Level of evidence IV, case series.