Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Inclusion criteria were not defined in terms of the study design. Both prospective and retrospective studies were included; two studies used historical controls. Details of the exact study designs employed by the included studies were not reported.
Specific interventions included in the review
Inclusion criteria were not defined in terms of the interventions, but it appears that studies of hip surveillance were eligible for inclusion. The surveillance methods used in the included studies appear to have been radiological measurements to monitor hip displacement and clinical assessment of locomotor ability.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
The review did not include any diagnostic accuracy studies that compared the performance of the index test with a reference standard of diagnosis.
Participants included in the review
Studies of children aged 0 to 18 years with cerebral palsy were included, whereas studies of children with congenital abnormalities of the spine or pelvis or a history of previous orthopaedic surgery were excluded. Studies in which the data could not be extracted separately for adults and children were also excluded.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Studies that provided data on the frequency of dislocation or subluxation, risk factors or surveillance measures were eligible for inclusion.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Full papers appear to have been selected on the basis of the quality and relevance rating, as performed by two independent reviewers.