New Publication on DDH screening in Denmark

Over the past 12 years, referrals in the Danish screening programme for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) have doubled—without a corresponding increase in diagnoses.

In our new retrospective study from Interdisciplinary Orthopaedics, Aalborg University and Regionshospitalet Randers we examined screening data from the North Denmark Region between 2010 and 2022, following the implementation of selective DDH screening.

Key findings:

• Annual referral rates increased from 200 newborns (3.3%) in 2010 to 402 (6.8%) in 2021

• The incidence of DDH remained unchanged over the same period

• Referrals based on clinical examination decreased (48% → 32%)

• Referrals due to breech presentation and family history increased (32% → 46% and 6% → 16%, respectively)

These findings suggest a shift in referral patterns—raising important questions about the current effectiveness and precision of the screening programme. We are using an increasing amount of resources on DDH screening, generating false positives and unnecessary worry for families without seeing an increase in newborns diagnosed with DDH. This development is unsustainable, we need to rethink the current screening strategy for DDH.

Read the full text here (Open Access)

Authors: Mads-Emil Kjaersgaard, Regitze Dam Gade, Søren Kold, Ole Rahbek, Hans-Christen Husum