Marino Ortolani: “Does That Baby’s Hip Go Click?”

Marino Ortolani (1904–1983), a pediatrician from Ferrara, in northeastern Italy, was an outstanding pioneer in the early diagnosis and treatment of hip dysplasia. In 1935, while examining hip abduction-adduction in a six-month-old baby, Ortolani noted that a clearly audible and palpable “click” was sufficient to reveal congenital pre-dislocation of the hip, a condition he confirmed by an X-ray of the pelvis. This discovery suggested that the sound alone could be used for early diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Ortolani’s test is now a widespread diagnostic technique, described in all pediatric and orthopedic textbooks. To confirm his conjecture, Ortolani dissected many hip specimens in very young babies who had died of unrelated causes. He also collected excellent specimens of congenital hip pathology in fetuses at all stages of intrauterine development, proving that hip dysplasia may already occur in utero. After his death, his entire collection was donated to the Institute of Anatomy of the University of Padua, where it is now exhibited in a special showcase. This collection, very impressive for both the number and high anatomical quality of its specimens, is famous worldwide because it demonstrates the etiopathology of hip dysplasia so clearly.