Doppler sonography of the anterior ascending cervical arteries of the hip: evaluation of healthy and painful hips in children.
OBJECTIVE
We evaluated the Doppler sonography of small feeding arteries to the femoral head in children.


METHODS
In a prospective study of 224 hips in 112 patients (mean age, 5 years 11 months), the anterior ascending cervical arteries of the hip were identified with color Doppler sonography. Subsequently, we measured the resistive index (RI) with pulsed Doppler sonography.


RESULTS
In 61% (137/224) of hips, a Doppler signal could be obtained. In asymptomatic hips (n = 64), the mean RI was 0.58. In symptomatic hips, the definitive diagnoses and mean values of RI included transient synovitis (n = 31) and 0.92, Perthes' disease (n = 9) and 0.67, and miscellaneous (n = 5) and 0.68. In 28 symptomatic hips, no definite diagnosis could be determined and the complaints spontaneously disappeared during follow-up (mean RI, 0.57). We found no statistically significant difference in the RI of symptomatic versus asymptomatic hips, except in patients with transient synovitis (p < 0.001). In 11 hips with transient synovitis that were reexamined after 4-6 weeks, the RI returned to normal (0.57). The RI in symptomatic hips showed a positive correlation with the amount of effusion (r = 0.69, p < 0.001). In symptomatic and asymptomatic hips, we found no correlation with age (p = 0.9 and 0.1, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
The deep capsular vessels of the hip joint can be evaluated on Doppler sonography in more than 60% of hips. Also, the RI is age independent and correlates with the amount of effusion.
Robben
S G
SG
Department of Pediatric Radiology, Sophia Children's Hospital, University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Lequin
M H
MH
Diepstraten
A F
AF
Hop
W C
WC
Meradji
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005270:Femur Head / Q000098:blood supply*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013585:Synovitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D014655:Vascular Resistance