Semirigid Abduction Bracing is Effective Treatment of Reducible Developmental Dysplastic Hips after Failure of Pavlik Harness

Developmental dysplasia of the hip [DDH] is a common condition of the childhood, affecting 1.6 to 28.5 newborns per 1000 live births [1]. Treatment is age dependent, progressing from abduction splinting with nonrigid or semirigid braces to closed reduction with hip spica cast and finally to open surgical procedures. Pavlik harness is a nonrigid brace widely accepted to treat infants younger than 6 months with DDH in the USA, with 80.2 to 96.7%reported successful reduction and maintenance of reduction rate [2,3]. If the hip is not reduced in 4 weeks,the harness has to be discontinued,and a different form of treatment has to be initiated, e.g. closed reduction under anesthesiaand hip spica casting [3]. The latter is associated with increased incidence of avascular necrosis of the femoral head [AVN] (2.6 to 60%), general risks of anesthesia, higher cost and burden to the family [3,4].