Dr. Mutasem Aldhoon

Dr. Mutasem Aldhoon is a pediatric orthopedic consultant whose practice centres on developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) across its entire course — from newborn screening and ultrasound interpretation through harness and brace treatment, closed reduction, and the surgical management of late-presenting or previously treated hips.

He writes the clinical content on Baby Hip Center for parents rather than for doctors: what the numbers on an ultrasound report actually mean, what each treatment involves week by week, and which findings genuinely need urgent attention. Every guide is then reviewed by the wider Baby Hip Center pediatric orthopedic team before publication.

He also reviews uploaded cases personally through the Baby Hip Center second-opinion service, and keeps a separate clinical practice site at drmutasemaldhoon.com.

Clinical scope in DDH

• Newborn and infant hip screening, including risk-factor and clinical-examination triage
• Reading hip ultrasound: Graf classification, alpha and beta angles, femoral head coverage
• Reading infant and toddler pelvic X-rays: acetabular index, Hilgenreiner and Perkin lines
• Pavlik harness and abduction bracing: selection, fitting problems, and monitoring
• Closed reduction and hip spica management
• Open reduction, femoral and pelvic osteotomy for late-presenting or failed treatment
• Long-term follow-up for residual dysplasia and avascular necrosis surveillance

Guides written by Dr. Aldhoon

Each guide is written for parents and reviewed by the wider Baby Hip Center pediatric orthopedic team before publication.

• Reading your baby's hip ultrasound: Graf types I to IV explained

  What Graf type I, IIa, IIb, IIc, III and IV mean on your baby's hip ultrasound report, and what each type usually means for treatment.

• What the alpha angle on a hip ultrasound means

  The alpha angle measures how well formed your baby's hip socket is. Here is what a normal value looks like, and what a low number means at each age.

• The Ortolani and Barlow tests, explained for parents

  What the doctor is feeling for during the newborn hip examination, what a positive Ortolani or Barlow means, and why the tests stop working after about 3 months.

• Hip ultrasound or X-ray: which one does your baby need?

  Ultrasound is used up to about 4-6 months, X-ray after that. Why the cut-off exists, what each test shows, and what radiation exposure really means here.

• My baby's hip clicks: when it matters and when it does not

  Most hip clicks in babies are harmless ligament sounds. Here is how a benign click differs from the clunk that needs an ultrasound.

• The Pavlik harness: week by week, and what to expect

  How the Pavlik harness works, the usual 6-12 week timeline, bathing and skin care, sleep and clothing, and what happens if it does not work.

• Do double nappies treat hip dysplasia?

  Double nappying is widely suggested and rarely effective as a treatment. What the evidence shows, and what it can and cannot be used for.

• Hip dysplasia treatment by age: newborn to walking

  Treatment depends far more on your baby's age than on the severity alone. What is usually offered at birth, 3 months, 6 months, and after walking age.

• Breech birth and hip dysplasia: how big is the risk?

  Breech position is the strongest single risk factor for DDH, which is why a breech baby should be scanned even when the examination is normal.

• Swaddling, carriers and car seats: hip-healthy positioning

  Tight straight-leg swaddling and narrow-based carriers are linked to hip dysplasia. How to swaddle and carry your baby safely instead.

• Signs of hip dysplasia in newborns and babies

  Uneven thigh creases, one leg that seems shorter, limited spread on one side, and the later signs at crawling and walking age.

• Is hip dysplasia painful for babies?

  Untreated hip dysplasia is almost never painful in infancy — which is exactly why it gets missed. When pain does appear, and what it means.

• Diagnosed late: hip dysplasia found after 6 months

  Screening does miss cases. What treatment looks like when dysplasia is found at 6, 12 or 18 months, and what the outlook is.

• How to get a second opinion on your baby's hips

  What to bring, what to ask, and how to request a second opinion without damaging the relationship with your baby's own doctor.