Current issues in the diagnostics of hip dysplasia in newborns in the regions of the Russian Federation

BACKGROUND:Early diagnostics of hip dysplasia in newborns are important medical and social problems because untimely treatment of these children leads to severe irreversible pathological disorders of the hip joint, dysplastic coxarthrosis, and consequently disability. Anamnesis data of patients from the Department of Hip Pathology of H. Turner National Medical Research Center for Children’s Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery show that late diagnoses of the dysplastic pathology of the hip joint are not rare, which does not tend to decrease in number. AIM:To identify and analyze the causes of the late diagnosis of dysplastic hip joint pathology in newborns in the Russian Federation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Statistical data from 64 regions of the Russian Federation were collected and analyzed to study the causes of untimely diagnosis of dysplastic hip joint pathology in newborns. RESULTS:According to the information received, 3,456,207 children were born in 64 regions of the Russian Federation between 2019 and 2021. Of these children, 108,737 (3.1%) were diagnosed with hip dysplastic pathology of varying severity (acetabular dysplasia, subluxation, and dislocation), and 3,943 cases (3.6%) had untimely diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Late diagnosis is primarily caused by the untimely appearance of patients for ultrasound screening and initial examination by an orthopedist. The secondary reason is the understaffing of medical organizations with specialists–orthopedists and specialists in Doppler ultrasound examination. To reduce the number of cases of late diagnosed or missed dysplastic hip pathologies and improve the quality of orthopedic care for children in the Russian Federation, strengthening health education must be recommended among parents and staff of medical organizations with orthopedic and ultrasound specialists.