Publications and reports

One of our primary goals at VicHip is to utilise research findings to improve the development of more effective health policies and programs for hip dysplasia. The publication of new research articles is a significant milestone towards achieving this goal.

Browse through journal articles and reports related to hip dysplasia or arising from VicHip.

2024

Summary: Affecting about 1% of infants globally, early detection and treatment of hip dysplasia, or DDH, is crucial to reduce the chance of long-term problems. Maternal Child Health Nurses (MCHNs) play a fundamental role in identifying hip abnormalities during routine checks, but physical examination alone has limitations. A recent VicHip survey of MCHNs highlighted the importance of early intervention but also revealed challenges like difficulty assessing unsettled infants, unclear referral pathways and differing clinical opinions that hinder diagnosis. These findings are key to improving detection and management strategies through enhanced education and awareness, practical training for MCHNs, clearer referral pathways, and better resources for healthcare professionals and parents. Overall, the report calls for collaboration and shared responsibility among healthcare providers to enhance the quality of hip care and services across Victoria. By empowering MCHNs as champions of early detection, adopting a unified approach and implementing more robust guidelines, we can pave the way for a future of healthier hips.

Read the Executive Summary or contact us to request the full report. 

2023

  • The Bone and Joint Journal, 1 October 2023, Donnan M, Anderson N, Hoq M, Donnan L. Paediatric hip ultrasound. Bone Joint J. 2023;105-B(10):1123-1130. doi:10.1302/0301-620X.105B10.BJJ-2023-0143.R1

Summary: This study on the reliability of hip ultrasound interpretations highlighted challenges in determining what is a high-quality ultrasound. It found that geometric measurements are reliably interpreted and may be useful as a further measurement of quality. On the other hand, morphological features are generally poorly interpreted, but a simpler binary classification considerably improves agreement. As there is a clear dose response relationship between geometric and morphological measurements, it raises questions about the significance of morphology in diagnosing hip dysplasia.

Summary: A retrospective observational study has revealed that neonatal clinical examination and selective ultrasound screening is not sufficiently reliable for the early diagnosis of hip dysplasia. When risk-based selective ultrasound screening was combined with neonatal clinical findings, nearly half of all infants with DDH were not detected. This highlights the failure of this screening method to reliably detect a significant proportion of dysplastic infant hips.

2019

2016

2015

  • Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics, 19 June 2015 Reliability of a New Radiographic Classification for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip Narayanan U, Mulpuri K, Sankar WN, Clarke NM, Hosalkar H, Price CT; International Hip Dysplasia Institute. Reliability of a New Radiographic Classification for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip. J Pediatr Orthop. 2015 Jul-Aug;35(5):478-84. doi: 10.1097/BPO.0000000000000318. PMID: 25264556; PMCID: PMC4484663.

Prior 2005

  • Current Opinion in Orthopaedics. Developmental dysplasia of the hip using arthroplasty. Angliss, R. D.; Bourne, R. B. Current Opinion in Orthopaedics 8(1): 13-21. 1997. 1041-9918. 10.1097/00001433-199702000-00003.

 

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VicHip is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care under the Medical Research Future Fund grant 2015989.

Murdoch Children's Research Institute acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands on which we work and pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging.