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Development of unstable hips after treatment with the Tübingen splint: mid-term follow-up of 83 hip joints

  • Orthopaedic Surgery
  • Published:
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Early diagnosis and treatment of hip dysplasia are widely accepted as major factors for beneficial outcome. However, modalities for reduction and retention as well as for imaging are currently under clinical investigation. Local and general risk factors, e.g., breech presentation and the family’s desire to avoid in-hospital treatment are major concerns in the decision-making process and consultation. For treatment of unstable hips in newborns the treatment with the Tübingen splint has proven good results in recent studies. However, mid- and long-term outcome studies are missing. We report on clinical results and X-ray parameter of initially unstable hips after treatment with the Tübingen splint at two time points: 12–24 and 24–48 months of age.

Materials and Methods

Included were newborns with 83 unstable hips (type D, III, IV according to Graf) which were successfully treated with the Tübingen splint—used as reduction splint 24 h per day/7 days per week—until type I hips were documented by ultrasound examination. Measurments are based on routine pelvic X-ray control at the age of 12–24 and 24–48 months. The acetabular angle was determined and according to the Tönnis-Classification evaluated into: normal findings (< 1 s), slightly dysplastic findings (1–2 s) and severely dysplastic findings (> 2 s). Children with secondary hip dysplasia were not included in this series.

Results

In 2nd year of life, 45 hips (54.2%; initial hip type D: 47.4%, III: 63.2%, IV: 42.9%) of the formerly unstable hips show normal X-ray findings. Although final ultrasound showed normal findings, at this time point 28 hips (33.7%; initial hip type D: 34.2%, III: 31.6%, IV: 42.9%) were slightly dysplastic and 10 (12.0%%; initial hip type D: 18.4%, III: 5.3%, IV: 14.3%) still severely dysplastic. At the age of 24–48 months, the percentage of radiologic normal hips had increased to 61 hips (73.5%; initial hip type D: 68.4%, III: 81.6%, IV: 57.1%), the number of slightly (19 hips) and severely dysplastic (3 hips) hips had decreased 22.9% (initial hip type D: 28.9%, III: 15.8%, IV: 28.6%) respectively 3.6% (initial hip type D: 2.6%, III: 2.6%, IV: 14.3%). At this time no operative intervention was neccessary.

Conclusions

Our mid-term data show on the one hand a good development of unstable hips after successful treatment with the Tübingen splint. On the other hand despite successful therapy and normal ultrasound findings at the end of treatment further imaging by X-ray are mandatory to close follow-up and to detect those which might need surgical correction of residual dysplasia.

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Author notes

  1. Hannes Kubo and Hakan Pilge contributed equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, Medical Faculty, University of Duesseldorf, Moorenstr. 5, 40225, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Hannes Kubo, Hakan Pilge, Karoline Nepp, Bettina Westhoff & Ruediger Krauspe

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  1. Hannes Kubo
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  2. Hakan Pilge
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  3. Karoline Nepp
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  4. Bettina Westhoff
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  5. Ruediger Krauspe
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Correspondence to Hannes Kubo.

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All Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards (Ethics committee vote of the University of Dusseldorf, study no. 4949).

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Kubo, H., Pilge, H., Nepp, K. et al. Development of unstable hips after treatment with the Tübingen splint: mid-term follow-up of 83 hip joints. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 138, 629–634 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-018-2882-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00402-018-2882-4

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