Long-term Follow-up of Children with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, Treated with the Orebro Splint

Abstract: Introduction Developmental dysplasia of the hip has since 1953 in Sweden most commonly been treated with the von Rosen splint. Over time, different types of splints have been developed, one of which is the Orebro splint. In some countries it is advised to have long-term follow-ups with radiological exams of patients treated with a splint. In Orebro, there is currently no mandatory follow-up after treatment with the Orebro splint. Aim The aims were to investigate how many children, despite treatment with the Orebro splint, developed dysplasia in the adolescence period, to study the hip function in children treated with the Orebro splint and investigate if there were any differences in treatment outcomes between males and females. Methods All children born between 2000 and 2012, treated with the Orebro splint, were eligible for inclusion. The outcome measures for quality of life and hip function were EQ-5D-Y-VAS and CHOHES score. The outcome measures for the pelvic radiological exams were Acetabular Index and Center Edge angle. Results Data from 46 patients were collected, 7 males and 39 females. 5,3% of the patients showed residual dysplasia. Both males and females showed overall good results in the radiological images, the surveys, and the clinical exams. The results did not show significant differences between the genders. Conclusion Even though our participants reported an overall good quality of life, our results showed some cases of residual dysplasia. However, the small sample size makes it difficult to assess whether the Orebro splint is equal to other splints regarding treatment outcomes.