Is there a difference between the epidemiologic characteristics of hip dislocation diagnosed early and late?
Objective: To determine if there are epidemiologic differences between patients with early and late developmental dislocation of the hip (DDH). Design: A chart review. Setting: A university-affiliated children’s hospital. Patients: Two hundred and forty-three children, 191 with early DDH and 52 with late DDH. Main Outcome Measures: Sex, side involved and prevalence of bilaterality. Results: There were significant differences between the two groups with respect to side involved (p < 0.0002) and bilaterality (p = 0.006) but not in relation to sex. Left-sided dislocations were predominant in the early group and right-sided dislocations in the late group. Bilaterality was more common in the late group. Conclusion: There is circumstantial epidemiologic evidence that late DDH may be a different entity from early DDH.
