Which tests are used to assess hip stability in newborns and infants up to 3 months of age?

• A. Galeazzi and Klisic
• B. Trendelenburg
• C. Romberg
• D. Barlow and Ortolani

Answer: (D)

Screening hip stability in newborns relies on maneuvers that specifically test whether the femoral head is properly seated in the acetabulum. The maneuvers used in this age group are designed to both detect a hip that can be dislocated and identify a hip that is already dislocated but reducible. The test that dislocates a potentially unstable hip by guiding the femoral head posteriorly with the thigh flexed, adducted, and pressure on the knee, helps reveal hips that are not contained within the socket. The complementary maneuver then attempts to reduce a dislocated hip by abducting the thigh and lifting it anteriorly, with a palpable clunk indicating the head has relocated into the socket. These two maneuvers are most reliable in newborns and infants up to about three months because joint laxity and anatomy at this stage allow dislocation and reduction to be felt. Other tests mentioned focus on different aspects of motor function or hip alignment in older children or in different contexts and do not specifically assess the reducibility of hip instability in the newborn period.