Early complications of primary total hip arthroplasty in the supine position with a modified Watson-Jones anterolateral approach.

BACKGROUND: For total hip arthroplasty (THA), minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been developed to reduce incision length, muscle damage, and a shorter hospital stay. However, reduced exposure of anatomical landmarks may result in technical errors and inferior implant survivorships. The aim of this study was to report the short-term results and clinical complications of primary MIS THA in the supine position.

METHODS: A consecutive series of 103 patients who underwent MIS cementless THA with a modified Watson-Jones anterolateral approach (AL) were enrolled. Outcomes data were reviewed at a minimum of 12 months following the procedure. Clinical evaluations were made using the Merle d'Aubigne and Postel hip score. The results of these procedures were retrospectively compared with those of a historical series of 98 total hip arthroplasties that had been performed by the same surgeon with use of a posterolateral approach (PL).

RESULTS: In the MIS AL THA group, intraoperative fracture was observed in 6 hips; 3 in greater trochanter and 3 in calcar femoral. One hip was subjected to irrigation because of postoperative infection was suspected. In the PL group, intraoperative fracture was demonstrated in 4 hips in calcar femoral. No postoperative dislocation and no pulmonary embolism or nerve paralysis was observed in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS: The MIS AL THA did not show a clinically relevant superior outcome compared with the PL THA. When performing MIS AL THA, special attention should pay for prevention of greater trochanter fracture.