The importance of early diagnosis and treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hips.

The primary purpose of this article is to draw closer attention to a particularly important orthopedic problem: the prevention and early treatment of Developemental Displasia of the Hip (DDH) in children, using ultrasonography (USG) as the main diagnostic method. The article presents clinical material collected over a period of several years in the Children's Orthopedic Outpatient Clinic at the County Pediatric Hospital in Toruń. The material covers a period of six years (1994-1999), but the experience of this clinic in the area of DDH dates back many years. The entire system of complex diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dysplasis hip joints in children will be presented in the light of Polish realities. The authors' intention is to portray the rich potential of USG technology in the diagnosis of DDH, to demonstrate its effectiveness, and to promote the use of this method among orthopedic surgeons and pediatricians, who may have differing opinions concerning its actual value. The problem of the early prevention of DDH is an interdisciplinary one, involving first neonatologists and obstetricians, later pediatricians, orthopedic surgeons, and even primary care physicians whose practice includes infants. This issue has been the subject of many national and international conferences, congresses and symposia.