Early postoperative results analysis of standard and mini-incision posterolateral approach in total hip arthroplasty

Abstract

Introduction/Aim: Total hip arthroplasty is the replacement of the hip joint with an artificial joint. Standard surgical procedures involve a long skin incision and extensive dissection of healthy tissue. Mini-incision surgery is a modification of standard operative approaches. The main difference, in addition to a significantly smaller skin incision, is based on much less damage to soft tissues, especially the muscles that move the hip. The aim of this paper is to compare the early results of the mini-incision and standard approach in total hip arthroplasty and to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the miniincision surgical technique. Method: A retrospective study analyzed data based on 63 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty with a mini-incision and standard approach at the Institute of orthopaedics Banjica during the period from 2004 to 2010. All the patients suffered from primary coxarthrosis. All the operations were carried out by the same surgical team. All the patients were clinically evaluated before and after the surgery using the Harris Hip Score. Results: In the group of the patients operated with the mini-incision approach, there were 32 of them, while in the group consisting of the patients operated with the standard approach, there were 31 patients. Comparing these groups did not reveal a statistically significant difference in age, body mass index, surgery duration and Harris Hip Score before the surgery. A statistically significant difference was determined when comparing intraoperative blood loss, the amount of drainage fluid after the surgery, and the Harris Hip Score after the surgery. Conclusion: The Mini-Incision Posterolateral Approach compared to the standard approach, apart from an aesthetically more acceptable scar, achieves significantly less intraoperative blood loss and better hip function with almost the same risk of complications.