According to a report published in The Lancet that ultrasound screening for abnormal hip development in the first six weeks of life can reduce the need for surgery
Dr. Rudiger von Kries, from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, and colleagues analyzed national data to determine the rate of first hip operation since an early screening program was instituted in Germany in 1996.
Between 1997 and 2002, about 90 percent of all children were screened for abnormal hip development (dysplasia) with ultrasound, the researchers note. In the first year after the program was introduced, 147 children required surgery for hip dysplasia. The number of children requiring surgery never exceeded 105 in the next four years.
“Although the German ultrasound screening program seems effective in reducing the rate of operative procedures, further improvements are needed with respect to timely participation and doctors assessment of ultrasound imaging,” the researchers note.