Ultrasound of the hip joints of newborns

Currently, ultrasound of the hip joints of newborns is prescribed very often, as many babies are born with these or other pathologies. The most common pathology is dysplasia, the signs of which can be noticed by a pediatrician or a considerate mom: with dysplasia of the hip joints, the difference in the length of the legs of the baby and the absence of symmetry in the gluteal femoral folds are noticeable. Ultrasound of the hip joint is recognized as the most informative, accurate and non-harmful method, which allows to diagnose the absence or presence of dysplasia, pre-invasions and dislocations.

Ultrasound of the joints of the newborn - the advantages of diagnosis

Twenty years ago the pathology of the pelvic joints was detected exclusively with the help of an x-ray apparatus, but now orthopedists and pediatricians prefer to direct the children to ultrasound. The advantages of this method are as follows:

1. Ultrasound of the hip joints allows the earliest possible detection of congenital abnormalities in children, that is, before the pelvic ossification points appear in the pelvis (which is a prerequisite for X-rays), and therefore, conservative treatment can be started much earlier, which is an undoubted advantage.
2. Ultrasound is an absolutely safe method that does not cause any harm in the form of radiation load (in comparison with the x-ray), which allows using this method repeatedly to monitor the progress of treatment.
3. The ultrasound method is considered very reliable, since it is devoid of subjectivity, if all the rules of the study are observed.
4. The method of ultrasound diagnosis of hip joint pathologies requires minimal time and financial costs.

How are ultrasound of the hip joints performed?

If there is a suspicion of dysplasia, ultrasound should be performed before the baby is 8 months old, because by this time the ossification of the femoral head begins. The nucleus of ossification casts a shadow that interferes with visualization of the structure of the bone structure, which does not allow to build the necessary angles for the diagnosis.

When performing ultrasound diagnosis of the pelvis, its image is displayed on a plane on which several corners and lines are constructed. Based on the analysis of ultrasound photography and measurement of such angles, a diagnosis is made. It is important to know that such violations are classified in degrees - from the norm to complete dislocation.

For accurate diagnosis it is important to put the baby right. His hip joints during the study should be immovable. When preparing for ultrasound diagnosis, it is necessary to limit the motor activity of the baby. During the study, he should be calm, nourished. The procedure is best carried out 30-40 minutes after feeding, so that there is no regurgitation during the study. It is also important to carry out a study at a time when the baby is healthy and does not bother with anything (that is, it should not have intestinal colic , allergies, malaise associated with teething).

When carrying out the described analysis, diagnostic errors can occur. This occurs when the scan plane is not selected correctly and the dimensions of the corners are distorted. However, one should not be afraid of such mistakes, since they always lead to so-called overdiagnosis - that is, to a false diagnosis of dysplasia, when it is not really there. It is believed that it is impossible to skip the existing dysplasia during this analysis.