Persistent hip clicks and their association with acetabular dysplasia

Abstract

It has been suggested that persistent hip clicks can be indicative of more serious hip pathology including acetabular dysplasia. Recent papers have emphasized the importance of acetabular dysplasia in the late presentation of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). In our study, we followed up 1397 neonates with persistent hip clicks. 341 (25%) of these neonates had acetabular dysplasia by radiographic criteria at 3 months (acetabular index >30), 114 (8%) of these patients remained dysplastic at the end of one year. We conclude that careful examination and follow-up of persistent hip clicks can be useful in the screening of acetabular dysplasia of the hip and the prevention of osteoarthritis in early adult life.