Testing for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip
Screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip needs to be performed in all children at birth as well as 6weeks. This condition arises when there is a shallow acetabulum which allows the femoral head to dislocate. If the dislocation persists, the child presents with a waddling or limping gait. Early diagnosis leads to early treatment and prevention of late complications such as osteoarthritis and avascular femoral head necrosis. Watch the video and learn how to screen for this condition early in life.
Great video - I recently did some shadowing with a PA at Seattle Children's and got to watch a lot of DDH screenings. One interesting snippet about risk factors is that screening is most important in patients who have a family history of hip replacement or spent any time breech during pregnancy. Great distraction tactics by mom as well.
