The treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia with splints in the United Kingdom: time for consensus?

PURPOSE: To understand the variation in the management of hip dysplasia identified from the United Kingdom neonatal selective screening programme. METHODS: Having been designed and tested by the research committee of the British Society for Children's Orthopaedic Surgery (BSCOS), a nationwide online survey was conducted of BSCOS members to ascertain their treatment strategies for neonatal hip dysplasia. RESULTS: There were 111 responses (60% of members), which illustrated wide variation in care. In all, 91 (over 80%) of respondents treat more than ten cases per year, yet only 61 (55%) work to an agreed protocol. A total of 90 (81%) use the Graf classification and 103 (93%) use the Pavlik harness initially. Consensus is lacking in key areas including duration of harness use, hours per day, clothing and weaning. Importantly, notable differences of opinion even exist regarding which hip pathologies need treatment. CONCLUSION: This study quantifies the wide variation in many key elements of the initial treatment of neonatal hip dysplasia in the United Kingdom. This variation appears unnecessary and unacceptable as the Getting It Right First Time programme seeks to standardize care pathways. The charitable sector has called for consensus to mitigate parental anxiety, and it has been suggested that this could allow better integration of hip dysplasia into national screening pathways. Standardized care benefits patients and represents the platform from which we can begin understanding effectiveness and optimizing outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.

Universal versus selective ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip: a single-centre retrospective cohort study.

A total of 28 068 infants were studied to investigate whether universal ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip results in fewer delayed presentations than selective screening, and whether the screening protocol affects subsequent treatment. The rate of delayed presentation was not lower with selective screening compared with universal screening but all cases of delayed presentation in this cohort were administrative errors. There were no sonographic errors (false-negatives). The treatment rate was significantly higher with universal screening but infants were treated earlier and were significantly less likely to require any surgical intervention. Those requiring surgery were less likely to require open reduction or pelvic osteotomy.

Staged weaning versus immediate cessation of Pavlik harness treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Outcomes of nonoperative treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip were compared between two centres. Eighty children in Centre A underwent staged weaning of the Pavlik harness once three consecutive weekly ultrasounds showed Graf Grade I hips, whereas in 48 children in Centre B, the harness was removed immediately. No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of reintervention (repeat harness treatment, closed or open reduction), avascular necrosis or acetabular index between the two methods, although there was a nonsignificant trend towards higher reintervention rate and lower avascular necrosis rate with immediate harness removal. Age at start of treatment significantly impacted upon initial harness success, reinterventions and avascular necrosis.

Assessment of cup orientation in hip resurfacing: a comparison of TraumaCad and computed tomography.

PURPOSE: The orientation of the acetabular component in metal-on-metal hip resurfacing arthroplasty affects wear rate and hence failure. This study aimed to establish if interpretation of pelvic radiographs with TraumaCad software can provide a reliable alternative to CT in measuring the acetabular inclination and version. METHODS: TraumaCad was used to measure the acetabular orientation on AP pelvis radiographs of 14 painful hip resurfacings. Four orthopaedic surgeons performed each measurement twice. These were compared with measurements taken from CT reformats. The correlation between TraumaCad and CT was calculated, as was the intra- and inter-observer reliability of TraumaCad. RESULTS: There is strong correlation between the two techniques for the measurement of inclination and version (p <0.001). Intra- and inter-observer reliability of TraumaCad measurements are good (p <0.001). Mean absolute error for measurement of inclination was 2.1°. TraumaCad underestimated version compared to CT in 93% of cases, by 12.6 degrees on average. CONCLUSIONS: When assessing acetabular orientation in hip resurfacing, the orthopaedic surgeon may use TraumaCad in the knowledge that it correlates well with CT and has good intra- and inter-observer reliability but underestimates version by 12° on average.

Functional outcome following direct repair or intervertebral fusion for adolescent spondylolysis: a systematic review.

A systematic review of the literature was performed to establish whether direct repair of the pars defect or intervertebral fusion achieves better Oswestry Disability Index scores in adolescent spondylolysis or low-grade spondylolisthesis. Nine studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, reporting a minimum total of 80 direct repairs and 108 fusions because of presumed replication of data between studies. Little statistically or clinically significant difference could be established between the two interventions. The only comparative study showed improved long-term outcome with fusion. Further well-designed prospective comparative studies are required to establish the optimum treatment for this condition.

Functional outcome following intramedullary nailing or plate and screw fixation of paediatric diaphyseal forearm fractures: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Unstable paediatric diaphyseal both-bone forearm fractures requiring fixation have traditionally been treated with rigid internal fixation with plate and screws. Intramedullary stabilisation has grown in popularity over the last 25 years but may be associated with rotational deformity and subsequent loss of pronosupination. This systematic review aims to establish which treatment method provides better functional outcome. METHODS: A systematic review of the published literature was performed, searching Medline, Embase, Pubmed and the Cochrane Library for English-language studies comparing intramedullary nailing with plate and screws in patients less than 18 years old with both-bone diaphyseal forearm fractures. RESULTS: Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. They were all retrospective comparative studies (level III or IV). One was age- and sex-matched. Three looked specifically at older children. No study reported a significant difference in functional outcome with either treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The currently available literature shows no difference in functional outcome between intramedullary nailing and plate and screw fixation, even in older children with less remodelling potential. Intramedullary nailing may therefore be the treatment of choice for simple fracture patterns due to shorter operative time, better cosmesis and ease of removal. Plating may still have a role in more complex injuries.

The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography in gluteal tendon tears--a systematic review.

Gluteal tendon tears are one of the many pathologies causing pain around the greater trochanter that are often labelled as trochanteric bursitis. We systematically reviewed the peer-reviewed literature to establish the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of gluteal tendon tears in patients with persistent lateral hip pain or Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS). 7 studies met the inclusion criteria, comparing either imaging modality with a reference standard of surgical findings. Included studies were assessed for methodological quality using the QUADAS checklist. MRI had sensitivity of 33-100%, specificity of 92-100%, positive predictive value of 71-100% and negative predictive value of 50%. False-positives were common. High signal located superior to the trochanter had a stronger association with tears. Ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 79-100% and positive predictive value of 95-100%. The amount and quality of literature on the subject is limited and further well-designed studies are required to establish the optimum diagnostic strategy in this condition. Ultrasonography may prove to be the investigation of choice, despite requiring a skilled practitioner. The orthopaedic surgeon should liaise with an experienced musculoskeletal radiologist to best investigate and diagnose gluteal tendon tears in the clinical picture of GTPS.

The factors associated with prolonged inpatient stay after surgical fixation of acute ankle fractures.

In order to identify specific factors associated with prolonged inpatient stay following surgical correction of acute ankle fracture, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent acute ankle fracture repair, comparing length of hospital stay to the reason for delay of surgery (logistical versus clinical), type of fracture, and age. Our findings showed that delay in surgical repair beyond 24 hours following presentation to the emergency department was associated with a statistically significant overall longer length of stay, in comparison to patients who underwent surgery within the first 24 hours (P = .022). Delay due to clinical reasons statistically significantly increased the length of stay (P = .004), whereas those due to purely logistical reasons also prolonged the stay, although this association was not statistically significant in our study (P = .086). We also observed a statistically significant positive correlation between age and length of stay (P