Congenital dislocation of the hip--diagnostic screening and treatment. A comparative study of two populations of infants and children.

To understand why congenital dislocated hip (CDH) was diagnosed late (mean age: nine months) in children admitted to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), 714 consecutive CHOP admissions, aged zero to two years, and 947 consecutive newborns delivered at the Hospital, University of Pennsylvania (HUP) were examined for CDH. The expected frequency of CDH was found at HUP. At CHOP, the children had a higher incidence of CDH, many with associated congenital anomalies, their hips were more difficult to examine, the hospital records contained few references to hip examinations. Had these children's hips been formally examined at birth, the delay in diagnosis might have been eliminated and treatment might have been easier and more successful.