The importance of early diagnosis of congenital torticollis: a five-year retrospective study at a tertiary centre.

AIM: To determine the frequency of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT), identify associated risk factors and assess common associated neonatal conditions.

METHODS

This retrospective study reviewed medical records of newborns diagnosed with CMT at the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. Data on maternal, pregnancy, delivery, neonatal and physiotherapy-related variables were analysed.

RESULTS

During the five-year period, 16,899 newborns were delivered, of whom 141 (0.83%) were diagnosed with CMT. CMT was most frequent among newborns of primiparous mothers (94; 66.7%) and after vaginal delivery (78; 55.3%). Most newborns had an Apgar score ≥8 (108; 76.6%) and were born at ≥37 weeks of gestation (130; 92.2%). CMT was slightly more common in female newborns (73; 51.8%) and was more often right-sided (88; 62.4%). Complete recovery was reported among all newborns with available physiotherapy follow-up data.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of CMT over the five-year period was 0.83%. Early diagnosis and timely initiation of physical therapy were associated with complete recovery among newborns with available follow-up data.