Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip and Laterality: The Importance of Graded Severity of the Contralateral Hip

Background: Laterality and bilaterality have been reported as prognostic variables in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) outcomes. However, there is little clarity across the literature on the reporting of laterality in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) due to the variability in severity of the condition. It is widely accepted that the left hip is most frequently affected; however, the true incidence of unilateral left, unilateral right and bilateral cases can be hard to quantify and compare across studies. The purpose of this study was to examine laterality accounting for graded severity in a multi-centre, international prospective observational study of infants with hip dysplasia to demonstrate the complexity of this issue.

Methods: A multi-centre, prospective hip dysplasia database was analyzed from 2010 to April 2015. Baseline diagnosis was used to classify patients into a graded laterality category accounting for hip status within the DDH spectrum.

Results: A total of 496 patients were included in the analysis; 328 were <6 months old at diagnosis and 168 were between 6 and 18 months old. Of these patients, 421 had at least one frankly dislocated hip. Unilateral left hip dislocations were most common, with 223 patients, followed by unilateral right and bilateral dislocations with 106 and 92 respectively. Stratifying these patients based on status of the contralateral hip, 54 unilateral left and 31 unilateral right dislocated patients also had a dysplastic or unstable contralateral hip. There were significantly fewer bilateral patients in the 6 to 18-month group (p = 0.0005). When classifying laterality by affected hip, bilaterality became the predominant finding, comprising 42% of all patients.

Conclusions: Findings from this multi-centre prospective study demonstrate the necessity to account for the graded severity in hip status when reporting DDH laterality. To accurately compare laterality across studies, a standardized, comprehensive classification should be established, as contralateral hip status may impact prognosis and treatment outcomes.

Level of evidence: Level II Prognostic Study.