Use of ultrasonography in dysplasia of the immature hip.

Real-time ultrasonography reconstruction is an imaging technique of relatively recent origin that has dramatically affected the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hip dysplasia. Ultrasonography is replacing conventional radiography as the primary method of diagnosing hip dysplasia and evaluating its treatment during the first six to nine months of life. While conventional radiography reveals a familiar two-dimensional image of ossified structures and to a much lesser extent, soft-tissue structures, it has disadvantages that include ionizing radiation, a relative inability to evaluate unossified tissues, and an inability to gain three-dimensional information without supplemental techniques.