An independent expert panel has not yet reviewed any children who may have had unnecessary hip surgery, despite a pledge for this process to begin “no later than January 2026″.
Last May, a random audit of 147 children who had hip dysplasia surgeries across Temple Street, Crumlin and Cappagh hospitals between 2021 and 2023 was published.
The audit found 60 per cent of these procedures at Temple Street hospital did not meet the clinical criteria for surgery, with the figure being 79 per cent in Cappagh hospital, raising concerns about the necessity of the surgeries.
Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a condition where the ball and socket joint of the hips does not properly form in babies and young children.
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The UK doctor Simon Thomas who carried out the review found surgeons were using a “novel technique” which they believed was less invasive and could be performed earlier.
Following publication of the audit, it was announced that children and young adults who underwent this surgery at Temple Street and Cappagh since 2010 would have their cases reviewed by an expert panel to determine the necessity of the surgery.
In a recent parliamentary question, the Health Service Executive (HSE) said the external expert panel (EEP) have all been appointed and the work has “formally commenced”.
Dr Kishore Mulpuri, consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon working in Canada, has been appointed to chair the EEP of international clinical experts.
There are 14 experts on the panel, who come from a range of countries: Singapore, Canada, England, Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland, India, the United States and Brazil.
Mulpuri is “internationally renowned as an expert in both operative and non-operative management of DDH, the HSE said.
The HSE said the terms of reference for the review have been drafted and are under “final review” before publication.
“The independent expert panel will review patient files to determine, in so far as possible, the appropriateness of the original decision to operate in individual cases, based on the appropriate radiological indices and clinical history informing that decision,” the HSE added.
The organisation had pledged that this process would begin at the start of this year, with a frequently asked question on the Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) website stating: “Individual case reviews will begin no later than January 2026 and are expected to take twelve months.”
However, a spokeswoman for the HSE confirmed no such case reviews have begun.
“While the work of the EEP review has commenced, the team of international experts are still in the testing and validation process. We expect them to begin their formal review of cases shortly,” the spokeswoman said.
Following the publication of the audit, CHI made changes to the oversight and governance of such surgeries, with children’s cases now being reviewed by a multidisciplinary team before any surgical intervention.
