Comparison Of Clinical and Ultrasound Examination in Neonatal Hip Screening for Detection of Developmental Dysplasia of Hip-Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: During infancy, among developmental abnormalities of the hip joint, a broad-spectrum anomaly is developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). To examine this abnormality, no standardized screening protocol is available. Clinical examination is most frequently followed, and in doubtful cases, ultrasound (US) examination is used to confirm the diagnosis. Aims: The present study aims to compare the sensitivity and specificity of clinical to US examination in neonatal hip screening to detect DDH. Materials and Methods: This is a 1-year hospital-based cross-sectional study. Newborns who were referred to the Department of Orthopaedics with suspected DDH and examined by both clinical examination and US examination were included in the study. The Chi-square test and Fisher’s t-test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Out of the 75 babies, referred two-thirds were girls. The mean age of the babies was 6.25 ± 3.50 days. The breech presentation was the common risk factor (85.33%) for DDH, and LSCS was the standard mode of delivery. Clinical diagnosis of DDH was positive among babies, more on the left side than the right side. Eight babies (10.67%) were diagnosed to have DDH based on Graf’s test using USG. Among them, 4 (50%) babies had a clinical diagnosis of DDH. The sensitivity of the clinical trial with USG as reference standard was 50% Conclusion: Due to the lower sensitivity of clinical examination, USG screening should be done to detect DDH.