Incidence of hip problems in developmental central hypotonia: A scoping review.
Roslyn W Livingstone, Ginny S Paleg, M Wade Shrader and 2 others
PMID 39429029WHAT IT FOUND
Children with developmental central hypotonia face a much higher risk of hip dysplasia and dislocation than the general population.
Because standard newborn checks often miss these issues, authors recommend hip ultrasound for all hypotonic infants between 6 weeks and 6 months, followed by ongoing surveillance.
Key findings
01Incidence of hip problems in this group ranges from 12% to 35%, significantly higher than the 1% to 1.5% seen in the general population.
02Standard neonatal screening may fail to detect hip instability in infants with Kabuki syndrome, and hip issues can develop or worsen after the newborn period.
03Authors recommend proactive hip ultrasound for all infants with significant hypotonia between 6 weeks and 6 months, and annual orthopaedic review with radiographs starting at 12 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review is descriptive and heterogeneous, so no strong conclusions about treatment efficacy can be drawn. It is unclear how many unique cases were included because several articles reported on the same cohorts or literature cases, leading to potential double-counting. Terminology for hip problems was inconsistent across studies, making it difficult to compare prevalence or outcomes between diagnoses. Most included studies were retrospective, small case series, or case reports, with limited follow-up data. The search was limited to articles published in English journals, though no language limits were placed on the initial search.
Declared interests
One author (Ginny S. Paley) has worked as an educational consultant for Prime Engineering, a manufacturer of standing devices, but owns no stock and the company provided no funding. The study was funded by Stiftelsen för bistånd åt rörelsehindrade i Skåne, which had no influence on the research or publication decision.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a normal newborn hip screen means the child is safe from hip problems. In developmental central hypotonia, hip dysplasia and instability often develop or worsen after the newborn period, particularly once the child begins walking, so ongoing surveillance is required.