Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the role of fetal position (left, right, cephalic, breech) in the development of hip joint, in an unselected population of babies with normal hips.
Methods: 672 outpatients, aged between 3 and 22 weeks (mean age = 9,85±2,06 weeks; M / F =340/332) visited at the UOC of Pediatria in 2009 have been recruited. All studied subjects had mature hips (type Ia) and were examined by ultrasounds with Graf's method.
Results: The value of alfa angle, which expresses the bony coverage, was not statistically different in right and left hip (68,18 ± 4,10 vs 68,51 ± 3,86, p=ns). The value of beta angle, which expresses cartilaginous coverage, was higher in right hip (48,14,2 ± 4,47 vs 47,59 ± 4,54, p=0,002). The direction of the baby (cephalic or breech) during pregnancy did not influence the bony, nor the cartilaginous covering, nor the age of withdrawal of nucleus of ossification of femoral head in normal hips.
Conclusions: Our study shows that cartilaginous coverage of the femoral head is better in right hip than in left hip; this could be related to the higher frequency of occipital-iliac left anterior position in uterus, that keeps the right hip more stable, helping the cartilaginous covering. Further studies are needed to confirm these observations.
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Casini, C., Zambardi, R., Filippelli, C. et al. 82 Does the Position in Pregnancy Influence the Maturation of Hip Joint?. Pediatr Res 68 (Suppl 1), 44 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00082
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-201011001-00082