Hip surgery and radiology reporting for children with cerebral palsy prior to initiation of a hip surveillance program

PURPOSE: Hip displacement impacts quality of life for many children with cerebral palsy (CP). While early detection can help avoid dislocation and late-stage surgery, formalized surveillance programs are not ubiquitous. This study aimed to examine: 1) surgical practices around pediatric hip displacement for children with CP in a region without formalized hip surveillance; and 2) utility of MP compared to traditional radiology reporting for quantifying displacement. METHODS: A retrospective chart review examined hip displacement surgeries performed on children with CP between 2007-2016. Surgeries were classified as preventative, reconstructive, or salvage. Pre- and post-operative migration percentage (MP) was calculated for available radiographs using a mobile application and compared using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test. MPs were also compared with descriptions in the corresponding radiology reports using directed and conventional content analyses. RESULTS: Data from 67 children (115 surgical hips) were included. Primary surgery types included preventative (63.5% hips), reconstructive (36.5%), or salvage (0%). For the 92 hips with both radiology reports and radiographs available, reports contained a range of descriptors that inconsistently reflected the retrospectively-calculated MPs. CONCLUSION: Current radiology reporting practices do not appear to effectively describe hip displacement for children with CP. Therefore, standardized reporting of MP is recommended.