Traumatic anterior hip dislocation in 4-year-old child with polytrauma and flail chest

Abstract

Traumatic hip dislocation in children is relatively rare, accounting for about 5% of all hip dislocations. Most of the hip dislocations seen in children are of the posterior type, but the much rarer anterior and anterior–inferior (obturator) types have also been described. We present the case of a 4-year-old boy with an anterior of hip dislocation following trauma. He was treated with closed reduction and immobilization in hip spica followed by skin traction. The aim of this study is to report the case of an anterior hip dislocation in a 4-year-old child, where it apparently appears normal in X-ray. The diagnosis of dislocation is suspected due to the abnormal attitude of the limb which is confirmed using computed tomography scan. The diagnosis of dislocation in children is difficult, and such trauma can lead to serious complications if missed.