Characteristics of developmental dysplasia of the hip at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Context: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a spectrum of disorders ranging from subluxation to complete dislocation of the hip joint. There are limited number of recent studies describing the characteristics of patients with DDH in Saudi Arabia. Aims: The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of DDH patients and the types of treatment methods they underwent. Subjects and Methods: The present retrospective study comprised data exploring some related factors of DDH in King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) in Riyadh from 2004 to 2014. Primary data of children referred to the orthopaedic outpatient clinic with DDH were analysed. Data included: gender, laterality, place of delivery, age at the time of diagnosis and type of intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. Results: A total of 176 DDH diagnosed patients were studied; 151 of which were female (85.8%). Of whom, 87 patients were delivered at KAMC (49.4%). There were 82 patients diagnosed with bilateral DDH (46.6%). The ages of diagnosis were included with 88.8% of the sample diagnosed after 3 months which was highly associated with unilateral disease (P < 0.001). There was a highly significant difference between the place of delivery and the age of diagnosis (P < 0.001). Pelvic osteotomy was the intervention in 50% of the cases. There was a statistically significant difference in the type of intervention with laterality (P = 0.016), age of diagnosis (P < 0.001) and place of delivery (P = 0.015). Conclusions: The awareness of DDH should be increased among paediatricians to decrease the incidence of late DDH diagnosis. A structured screening program has to be created and implemented in all hospitals of the country to detect DDH earlier and to provide treatment as early as possible.