Biomedical Research

Purpose: This study was carried out to investigate whether Pavlik harness affects motor performance in premature infants with Congenital Dislocation of the Hip (CDH).

Methods: A total of 62 children were enrolled and divided into two groups: CDH group (30 infants with CDH) and control group (32 normal). The motor performance of CDH group infants was evaluated before and after using Pavlik harness, and their scores were compared with scores for controls and American standard scores for premature infants.

Results: The initial infant performance scores for the CDH group before application of Pavlik harness were significantly lower than scores for control group and American standard. After using Pavlik harness, the scores for CDH group were significantly reduced when compared to initial values. However, there was no significant difference between control group score and American standard scores.

Conclusion: Premature infants with congenital dislocation of the hip showed reduction in motor performance after using Pavlik harness, which may mask some anomalous synkinetic movements and affect clinical assessments. These results suggest the need for care when applying Pavlik harness and similar devices for premature infants.

Author(s): Jiazhi Yu, Hui Shang, Yan Zhuang, Chunhua Wang, Liquan Sun, Tao Liu, Kelai Wang
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