Effectiveness Of Abduction Orthosis For The Treatment Of Acetabular Dysplasia

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of full-time bracing in residual acetabular dysplasia (RAD) and the effect of previous Pavlik harness usage on the results of treatment with abduction orthosis. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 80 patients (9 males, 71 females; mean age 6 +/- 0.8 months; range, 5 to 7 months) with developmental dysplasia of the hip (119 dysplastic hips) treated with hip abduction orthosis. Patients with an acetabular index (AI) measurement of 30 degrees and over who used full-time hip abduction brace for six months were included in the study. Acetabular index values were measured at the initiation, third, and sixth months of treatment and the effectiveness of abduction orthosis was evaluated. The patients were analyzed for the effect of prior Pavlik harness application on abduction orthosis treatment. Results: Mean AI value of the dysplastic hips (n=119) was 33.4 degrees +/- 2.6 degrees, which decreased to 28.5 degrees +/- 2.6 degrees after treatment (p<0.001). The AI improvement in the first three-month period was significantly faster than the second three-month period (2.9 degrees +/- 1.9 degrees vs. 1.9 degrees +/- 1 degrees; p=0.013). No difference was observed in AI development between patients with or without prior Pavlik treatment (p=0.1). In patients with unilateral dysplasia, dysplastic hips improved significantly faster than normal hips (p