New two-incision minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty: comparison with the one-incision method.

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in performing total hip arthroplasty (THA) with minimally invasive surgery (MIS). This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of MIS-THA using the new two-incision technique versus the one-incision technique. A consecutive series of 113 patients who underwent MIS-THAs (63 one-incision cases, 50 two-incision cases) were studied. One-incision THA was performed with a posterolateral approach. For the two-incision, the first incision for cup insertion was made over the anterolateral side of the hip. Intermuscular dissection was performed between the gluteus medius and the tensor fascia lata. The second incision, for stem insertion, was made on the posterolateral side of the hip along the fiber of the gluteus maximus. Intermuscular dissection was made between the gluteus medius and the piriformis. Postoperative rehabilitation was significantly more rapid in the new two-incision group compared to the group with one incision. Postoperatively, the Harris Hip Score and the Western Ontario and the McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score were significantly different between the two groups, especially the functional sections. The findings of this study show that our new two-incision MIS-THA is an excellent surgical modality that allows early rehabilitation.