THE IMPORTANCE OF ASYMMETRIC THIGH CREASES AS THE SOLE REFERRAL COMPLAINT IN DEVELOPMENTAL DYSPLASIA OF THE HIP

A study to assess the clinical importance of asymmetric thigh creases as the sole clinical sign in the diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of the hip.METHODAll consultant clinic letters have been saved on a hospital hard drive since 1999. This drive was searched for the terms “thigh crease” and “skin crease”. Irrelevant letters and referral letters describing factors that would indicate screening in our unit were excluded leaving those with the sole referral complaint of asymmetric thigh creases (ATC).We also reviewed the original referrals of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) patients managed by open or closed reduction. These patients were identified through operative coding. All available hard copy notes were reviewed and patients with neuromuscular conditions or longitudinal deficiency were excluded.Results were inputted into an Excel spreadsheet and analysed by a statistician at the University of Sheffield assuming a background population incidence for DDH of 1 in 1000.RESULTS399 computer fil...