The importance of early diagnosis of congenital torticollis: a five-year retrospective study at a tertiary centre.

AIM: To determine the frequency of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT), identify associated risk factors and assess common associated neonatal conditions. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed medical records of newborns diagnosed with CMT at the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023. Data on maternal, pregnancy, delivery, neonatal and physiotherapy-related variables were analysed. RESULTS: During the five-year period, 16,899 newborns were delivered, of whom 141 (0.83%) were diagnosed with CMT. CMT was most frequent among newborns of primiparous mothers (94; 66.7%) and after vaginal delivery (78; 55.3%). Most newborns had an Apgar score ≥8 (108; 76.6%) and were born at ≥37 weeks of gestation (130; 92.2%). CMT was slightly more common in female newborns (73; 51.8%) and was more often right-sided (88; 62.4%). Complete recovery was reported among all newborns with available physiotherapy follow-up data. CONCLUSION: The frequency of CMT over the five-year period was 0.83%. Early diagnosis and timely initiation of physical therapy were associated with complete recovery among newborns with available follow-up data.