ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) encompasses a wide pathological spectrum, from mild acetabular dysplasia to complete congenital hip dislocation at birth. Screening policies have been implemented in an effort to effectively identify and treat patients with DDH. Since 2009 there has been a national DDH programme in Chile. The current study evaluates the results of the programme in patients born between 2010 and 2015. METHODS: Records of patients hospitalized from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2019 were retrieved from national databases. Those born from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2015 who underwent a procedure for DDH under general anaesthesia during their first five years of life were selected. Sex, first surgical procedure and age at first surgical procedure were analyzed. The incidence of DDH that required major surgical treatment was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 961 children born from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2015 underwent a procedure for DDH during their first five years of life. The number of major procedures was significantly lower than the number of minor procedures (269 vs 692). The incidence of major procedures was 0.18 per 1000 live births. Girls underwent a higher number of procedures than boys (831 vs 130), whereas 39.2% of the boys and 26.2% of the girls had major procedures. The mean age at the time of the first procedure was 15.35 months (sd 10.09; range 0.03 to 55.92 months). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the Chilean National DDH Screening Program is an appropriate programme with substantial benefits with respect to public health. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.
ABSTRACT
Growth modulation with tension band plates (TBP) has been shown to be a very useful method for the treatment of angular deformities in growing children. Recently, we have observed cases of failure where the epiphyseal screw was drawn through the physis into the metaphysis. This study describes a series of children who developed this complication. Patients who developed TBP failure after operative treatment of lower limb angular deformities were identified from the databases at four institutions over a 5-year period. The medical records were reviewed to record demographics, primary diagnoses, details of the operative procedure, development of physeal arrest, and recurrence of the original deformity. Six patients (five girls) with nine implant failures were identified. The mean age of the children at the time of implant insertion was 7.2 years (range, 4-10 years). The primary diagnoses included hypophosphatemic rickets (n=7), congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia associated with neurofibromatosis 1 (n=1), and post-traumatic malunion after distal tibial fracture (n=1). Of the nine TBP that presented with the complication, four were inserted into the medial distal femur (one bilateral case), two into the medial proximal tibia (one bilateral case), two into the lateral distal tibia, and one into the medial distal tibia. None of these patients developed physeal growth arrest at the last follow-up as assessed on the latest radiographs. The use of TBP for guided growth in patients younger than 10 years old with rickets, neurofibromatosis, or other conditions that produce osteopenia leads to an increased risk for implant failure. In these cases, it is important to confirm that the epiphyseal screw has good purchase. Patients with these features should be monitored closely for early detection of this complication.
