The fate of untreated developmental dislocation of the hip: long-term follow-up of eleven patients.

Eleven patients with developmental dislocation of the hip who had no treatment other than observation were followed up for an average of 40 years. Nine of the 11 patients had bilateral hip dislocations. None of the hips developed avascular necrosis. Overall clinical and functional results were very satisfactory despite uniformly unsatisfactory radiographs. These patients achieved a better quality of life than have many patients of similar age who have undergone surgical treatments aimed at reducing such late-presenting hip dislocations.