[Optimal age for hip sonography screening].

In the German Federal Republic the guidelines from 1996 for screening by hip-sonography recommend a practice in two parts: at birth (3rd to 10th day) examination of newborn babies presenting risk factors. Lateron (4th to 5th week) screening of all babies regardless of previous findings. The effectiveness of this splitting was not proven at that time, when these guidelines were introduced. In our experience over 15 years in hip sonography of nearly 15,000 babies, the screening of all babies immediately after birth--regardless of risk factors--shows to be effective as well as economic.