Comparable ultrasound measurements of ten anatomical specimens of infant hip joints by the methods of Graf and Terjesen.
OBJECTIVE
To define which sonographic section planes relative to the acetabular inlet plane will produce analyzable images with the methods of Graf and Terjesen.


METHODS
Anatomical specimens of infant hip joints were investigated in a water bath using the methods of Graf and Terjesen. Acetabular position was varied in defined increments with respect to the ultrasound beam. The alpha angles and the femoral head coverage (FHC) were measured.


RESULTS
To obtain images analyzable by the two methods, the ultrasound beam had to intersect with the acetabular inlet plane at defined angles. The acetabular notch had to be anteriorly rotated from the ultrasound beam plane by at least 20 degrees. Beam entry within a 50 degrees sector posterior to the perpendicular on the inlet plane resulted in analyzable images. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that alpha angles and FHC were much affected by the coronal-plane transducer tilt.


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that caudal tilts of the transducer are associated with reduced alpha angles and FHC values should be kept in mind in clinical ultrasound investigations. It is recommended that the transducer should be put on the greater trochanter perpendicular to the transverse axis of the body.
Falliner
A
A
Clinic of Orthopaedic Surgery, Institute for Medical Informatics and Statistics, University Hospital, Kiel, Germany. Axel_Falliner@hotmail.com
Hahne
H J
HJ
Hedderich
J
J
Brossmann
J
J
Hassenpflug
J
J
D002102:Cadaver; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography