Walking quality after surgical treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip in children.

We assessed the quality of life of children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) treated surgically, through analysis of leg length discrepancy, quality of walking and presence of pain in 39 children with DDH between 1991 and 2011 at the University Children's Hospital in Belgrade. Salter's innominate osteotomy combined with derotation and femoral bone shortening was performed. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on their age at operation: the first group included participants operated at age up to 24 months, the second group between 24 and 48 months and the third group above 48 months of life. In the first group, leg length discrepancy was present in 30.76% and mean leg shortening was 0.63cm, versus 27.77% and 1.30 cm in the second group and 37.50% and 1.50 cm in the third group. Children with DDH that were operated earlier in life had less leg shortening and did not display any significant asymmetry of walking.