[Treatment of congenital dislocation of the hip--follow-up study of cases of bilateral dislocation of the hip].

The treatment of congenital dislocation of the hip in 16 patients (32 hips) older than 9 years of age at the time of this follow-up study was evaluated. Most of the patients were treated at the age between 1 and 3 years. Right and left hips treated by different methods, either conservative treatment, Colonna capsular arthroplasty or open reduction, were examined radiologically and compared. Consistent results were not obtained in the patients who underwent conservative treatment or Colonna capsular arthroplasty. Among the patients of open reduction, better results were obtained in those of "open reduction with total capsulotomy" than those treated by other methods. The patients who underwent such an operation at an earlier age showed the best results. The results of open reduction were not inferior to those of conservative treatment if concentric improvement was observed immediately after the operation. Therefore, a treatment appropriate for each patient should be selected and conservative treatment alone should not be insisted upon.