Congenital Dislocation of the Hip: Combination of the Rigid and Soft Brace

Abstract

166 hips in 97 patients with congenital dislocation of the hip were treated conservatively by means of Ilfeld brace followed by Ponseti brace starting from 3-9 months of age. The follow-up period ranged from 1-9 years (average 5.6 years) and excellent results were found in 88 hips (90.7%), good results in 6 (6.2%), and fair results in 3 (3.2%). Avascular necrosis rate was found 8.2% with a 7.2 % type I and 1 % type II occurrence. We propose the combination of the rigid and soft brace in the initial treatment of congenital dislocation of hip because of its high success rate, low occurence of type I and II avascular necrosis, and lack of the redislocation.