Between 1985 and 1998, 12 331 patients were included in the general neonatal ultrasound hip screening programme for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Patients who needed treatment (604) were compared with a second group of 73 unscreened children treated conservatively and surgically for DDH.The incidence of Graf sonographic hip types IIc to IV varied throughout the observation period. Femoral and pelvic osteotomies were almost entirely restricted to the unscreened group of patients. The six to ten per year recorded in the period 1985 to 1990 declined subsequently to three or less per year. The yearly admissions to hospital fell noticeably after six years of screening. Late presentations of DDH were reduced to three or less per year from 1990 to 1994, none between 1995 and 1998 and one or two per year from 2000.We conclude that general neonatal sonographic hip screening can reduce significantly surgical procedures, hospitalisation and late presentation of DDH.

Consequently, standard radiographic documentation is no longer used as a standard in our clinic. MRI and CT are reserved for special cases. We recommend transinguinal ultrasound as a standard diagnostic method for determination of the femoral head position in hip spica casts. With a portable ultasound system, determination of the hip position using transinguinal ultrasound is immediately possible in the operating theatre.

These follow-up examinations show that the treatment of an ACL rupture in growth age with a periost-patella tendon-periost graft leads to good results. It is a good alternative to the other methods (e.g., semitendinosus). Today, it can be regarded as a standard that an ACL rupture with open growth plates should be treated operatively.

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Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging is the imaging method of choice for confirmation and documentation of the reduced position of the hip joint in plaster. Radiographs are no longer needed.