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A group of 86 developmentally dislocated hips in children aged 6-48 months was treated by closed reduction before 1957 without preliminary traction, and another group of 176 hips was treated after 1957 with prereduction traction. The results in these two groups were compared to clarify the effect of prereduction traction. During the treatment of these cases, subcutaneous adductor tenotomy was performed when obviously indicated. Otherwise preliminary traction was the only variable between the two groups. To rule out tenotomy as a factor influencing the result, the hips of children aged 6-36 months who had prereduction traction as the single variable were taken out of the group and the results analyzed. It is concluded that prereduction traction decreases the incidence of avascular necrosis of the femoral head when developmentally dislocated hips of children aged 6-36 months are treated with closed reduction with traction as the single variable.