Does cranial bone ossification differ in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip?

Objectives: This study aims to compare cranial bone ossification between patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) and healthy individuals.

Patients and methods: Between September 2021 and April 2022, a total of 60 healthy female individuals (median age: 24.5 months; range, 18 to 36 months) and 56 female DDH patients (median age: 23 months; range, 18 to 35 months) were included. Age, head circumference, weight, height, and patency of the anterior fontanel were measured in groups. Percentiles were classified as very low, low, normal, high and very high. All patients were female and those with abnormal thyroid function test, vitamin D, calcium, phosphate and alkaline phosphatase values were not included in the study. For those diagnosed with DDH, they were included in the group regardless of the type of treatment.

Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the groups in terms of age and weight (p>0.05). The very low and very high head circumferences were more frequent, and the normal head circumferences were less frequent in the DDH group (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of fontanel closure (p>0.05). In open fontanels, no significant difference was found in both groups in terms of age (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Our study results showed no significant difference between the fontanel ossifications of children with and without DDH; however, we found that the ossification of the skull bones of children with DDH was different compared to healthy children.