Alex Aarvold: The Pelletoplasty, screening for hip dysplasia in England & radiation concerns

This week I speak with Mr. Alexander Aarvold a consultant pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Southampton England.  He has published extensively in the field of hip dysplasia and has recently been advocating for a growth-stimulating procedure to improve the outcomes when treating developmental dislocation of the hip with open reduction by adding a procedure called a pelletoplasty We begin the discussion talking about screening and the fact that despite having a national screening program in England, the rate of late-detected hip dysplasia does not seem to have changed over the last few decades, and he has led efforts to find ways to improve this. We then talk about the risk of radiation from repeated pelvic X-rays, a topic he has researched and which parents are always rightfully concerned about. Most of the discussion was centered around a procedure he has termed the pelletoplasty a technical modification to one of the standard procedures for the surgical treatment of developmental dislocation of the hip, which has resulted in excellent outcomes.  We discuss the efficacy of the procedure, the technical details,how one can learn to do it and maintain proficiency. and we talk about the future of research in hip dysplasia.