Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip

Objective: For years, physical examination (PE) findings (e.g., Barlow, Ortolani tests, and abduction limitation) have been used as the primary screening method in the early diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). There are a limited number of studies in the literature that evaluate t...

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Main Authors: Ahmet Imerci, Mihir Thacker, Richard Bowen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AVES 2025-03-01
Series:Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica
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Online Access:https://www.aott.org.tr/en/agreement-between-physical-examination-and-dynamic-sonography-in-infants-with-developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip-137445
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author Ahmet Imerci
Mihir Thacker
Richard Bowen
author_facet Ahmet Imerci
Mihir Thacker
Richard Bowen
author_sort Ahmet Imerci
collection DOAJ
description Objective: For years, physical examination (PE) findings (e.g., Barlow, Ortolani tests, and abduction limitation) have been used as the primary screening method in the early diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). There are a limited number of studies in the literature that evaluate the agreement of PE findings and dynamic sonographic evaluation. Our aim was to evaluate the correlation between dynamic sonographic hip types and physical examination findings in infants with DDH. Methods: A total of 281 infants (562 hips) with DDH younger than 6 months who were given Pavlik harness treatment were included in the study. Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and race) of the infants were recorded. The concordance between the PE findings and sonographic findings of the patients at the first admission was evaluated. The agreement analysis between the dynamic sonography evaluations and the PE results was demonstrated by Cohen’s kappa (k) coe!cient and Kendall’s coe!cient (W) of concordance. Results: Of the 55 hips evaluated as normal in PE, 21 were normal, 25 were found to have dysplasia, and 9 were subluxated/or subluxatable on dynamic sonography. It was observed that 30 (13%) of 219 hips which were dislocated on dynamic sonography were found to be lax on the PE. The overall percentage of agreement between the physical examination and dynamic sonography was 72.4. The Cohen kappa for agreement between the PE and dynamic sonography was 0.541 (CI: 0.479-0.602). The agreement between Ortolani test evaluation with PE and Ortolani test evaluation of patients diagnosed with dislocated hip by dynamic sonography was 70.3% (Cl: 0.34 (0.22-0.46)), while the agreement of Barlow test was 78.5% (CI: 0-0.26). The Kendall’s coe!cient of concordance between reducible hip (Ortolani positive) under dynamic sonography and PE was 0.546. Dynamic sonographic evaluation of 238 hips with restricted hip abduction showed that 78 (32.7%) were subluxated at rest and/or subluxated with stress, and the remaining 150 (67.3%) hips were dislocated at rest or dislocated with stress. Conclusion: The agreement between PE and dynamic sonography was fair to moderate. The clinicians should focus on both examinations to reveal essential data for diagnosing and monitoring infants with DDH. Level of Evidence: Level IV, Diagnostic Study
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spelling doaj-art-cabd87f23166476d9b72f6bd59c6a9f62025-08-02T19:26:37ZengAVESActa Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica1017-995X2025-03-01591454810.5152/j.aott.2025.23036Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hipAhmet Imerci0Mihir Thacker1Richard Bowen2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USA ; Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Faculty of Medicine, Muğla, TürkiyeDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, USAAlfred I DuPont Hospital for Children: Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, United StatesObjective: For years, physical examination (PE) findings (e.g., Barlow, Ortolani tests, and abduction limitation) have been used as the primary screening method in the early diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). There are a limited number of studies in the literature that evaluate the agreement of PE findings and dynamic sonographic evaluation. Our aim was to evaluate the correlation between dynamic sonographic hip types and physical examination findings in infants with DDH. Methods: A total of 281 infants (562 hips) with DDH younger than 6 months who were given Pavlik harness treatment were included in the study. Socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, and race) of the infants were recorded. The concordance between the PE findings and sonographic findings of the patients at the first admission was evaluated. The agreement analysis between the dynamic sonography evaluations and the PE results was demonstrated by Cohen’s kappa (k) coe!cient and Kendall’s coe!cient (W) of concordance. Results: Of the 55 hips evaluated as normal in PE, 21 were normal, 25 were found to have dysplasia, and 9 were subluxated/or subluxatable on dynamic sonography. It was observed that 30 (13%) of 219 hips which were dislocated on dynamic sonography were found to be lax on the PE. The overall percentage of agreement between the physical examination and dynamic sonography was 72.4. The Cohen kappa for agreement between the PE and dynamic sonography was 0.541 (CI: 0.479-0.602). The agreement between Ortolani test evaluation with PE and Ortolani test evaluation of patients diagnosed with dislocated hip by dynamic sonography was 70.3% (Cl: 0.34 (0.22-0.46)), while the agreement of Barlow test was 78.5% (CI: 0-0.26). The Kendall’s coe!cient of concordance between reducible hip (Ortolani positive) under dynamic sonography and PE was 0.546. Dynamic sonographic evaluation of 238 hips with restricted hip abduction showed that 78 (32.7%) were subluxated at rest and/or subluxated with stress, and the remaining 150 (67.3%) hips were dislocated at rest or dislocated with stress. Conclusion: The agreement between PE and dynamic sonography was fair to moderate. The clinicians should focus on both examinations to reveal essential data for diagnosing and monitoring infants with DDH. Level of Evidence: Level IV, Diagnostic Studyhttps://www.aott.org.tr/en/agreement-between-physical-examination-and-dynamic-sonography-in-infants-with-developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip-137445developmental dysplasia of the hipagreement analysisphysical examinationdislocated hipsdynamic sonography
spellingShingle Ahmet Imerci
Mihir Thacker
Richard Bowen
Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
Acta Orthopaedica et Traumatologica Turcica
developmental dysplasia of the hip
agreement analysis
physical examination
dislocated hips
dynamic sonography
title Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
title_full Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
title_fullStr Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
title_full_unstemmed Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
title_short Agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
title_sort agreement between physical examination and dynamic sonography in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip
topic developmental dysplasia of the hip
agreement analysis
physical examination
dislocated hips
dynamic sonography
url https://www.aott.org.tr/en/agreement-between-physical-examination-and-dynamic-sonography-in-infants-with-developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip-137445
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