Congenital dislocation of the hip. Use of the Pavlik harness in the child during the first six months of life

Indicators of successful use of the Pavlik harness in infants with developmental dysplasia of the hip

“…In previous studies, it has been reported that the side of pathology and the infant's gender do not affect the result of Pavlik harness treatment [3,9,14]. Our findings support these findings.…”

“…Avascular necrosis rates in DDH are generally reported to be between 0 and 8% [2,6,14,18]. Suzuki et al [18] reported that avascular necrosis developed in 33.3% of 23 hips (Suzuki type B) that were treated with the Pavlik harness.…”

“…While the Pavlik harness prevents extension and adduction of the hip joint, it allows movements in the safe zone (the arc between the angle of adduction that would allow redislocation, and the angle of abduction that can be comfortably attained) as defined by Ramsey et al [14]. In this way, spontaneous movements help in the reduction of the hip joint.…”

Frejka pillow and Becker device for congenital dislocation of the hip: Prospective 6-year study of 104 late-diagnosed cases

“…In the outpatient treatment for CDH in children under I year of age, the Pavlik harness has probably become the most commonly used method. While it seems to be simple, safe and successful, serious iatrogenic complications like avascular necrosis are still reported (Pavlik 1957, Ramsey and Lasser 1976. Johnson et al 1981, Tonnis 1982, Grill et al 1988) and the simplicity of the Pavlik harness has been disputed (Mubarak et al 1981).…”

The creation of a Pavlik “hemi-harness” for a singly irreducible hip in bilateral dysplastic hips

“…When DDH is recognised in the first 6 months of life, treatment with a Pavlik harness frequently has good results, although the success rate may be lower in children over 12 weeks of age [2][3][4][5].…”