Comparison of earlier functional recovery in total hip arthroplasty patients using a direct anterior approach or posterolateral approach / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare faster rehabilitation of different surgical approaches in total hip arthroplasty (THA)patients using a direct anterior approach or posterolateral approach.Methods Sixty-eight patients (35 in direct anterior THA and 33 in posterolateral THA) from September 2015 to March 2016 were recruited in the present study.The incision length,operation duration,intraoperative blood loss,serum creatinekinase (CK),C-reactive protein (CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR),interleukin-6 (IL-6) and visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score were compared between two groups respectively.The Harris hip score,the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) pain,walking,and activity scores,postoperative hospital length of stays,gait analysis,component placement and complications were also compared.Results The mean incision length,operation duration,intraoperative blood loss were 11.23±0.97 cm,73.77±9.20 min and 157.15±35.83 ml in the DAA group respectively,while those in PLA group were 15.16±1.12 cm,64.12±13.31 min and 126.97±45.45 ml.The mean incision length of the DAA group were significantly less than that of the PLA group.The DAA group underwent longer operation time that associated with more intraoperative blood loss.The levels of CK and inflammation markers were increased in the PLA group compared with those in the DAA group.The VAS pain score was less in the DAA group than the PLA group within postoperative 72 hours.Functional recovery in the DAA group was faster than that in the PLA group based on the Harris hip score,UCLA scores,and gait analysis up to 3 months.There was no difference in these outcomes between the groups beyond 6 months.The average postoperative hospital length of stay was 2.95±0.24 days and 3.35±0.51 days for the DAA group and PLA group respectively.The patients in DAA group required less postoperative hospital length of stays.The angle of acetabular cup anteversion in the DAA group (16.4°±2.3°) was lesser than that in the PLA group (20.4°±2.8°).There was one intraoperative nondisplaced greater trochanter fracture in the DAA group,whereas no intraoperative complications were occurred in the PLA group.Conclusion The present study showed that using direct anterior approach in THA provided significant benefits for patients in terms of muscle damage,VAS score,hospital length of stays and functional recovery in the early stage postoperatively compared to using posterolateral approach.