Comparison of early and late surgical outcomes of patients after total hip arthroplasty in terms of the type of surgical approach and assessment of the level of fitness.

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of human joint pathology. It is estimated that it affects about 6% of the world’s population. In addition to the hand and knee joints, the hip joint is one of the most common joints affected by OA. The study included 59 randomly selected patients (from a group of over 600 people operated in a similar period) of the Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Department of the Centre for Rehabilitation and Orthopaedics in Krakow, who underwent THA due to advanced degenerative changes using a cementless prosthesis. The objective of the study was to compare the early and late outcomes of the procedure (patient’s fitness level and subjective assessment) using the anterolateral (according to Watson-Jones) and lateral (McFarland and Osborne as modified by Hardinge) approach. The obtained results confirm better outcomes in terms of the abduction strength scale (SO%), HHS, VAS, frequency of the Trendelenburg sign and partially mobility (external rotation) in relation to short-term follow-up (especially after 6 and 12 weeks), but not long-term follow-up (after 24 weeks and 11-12 years). It was found that people who underwent surgery using the lateral approach (according to Hardinge) recover faster than people who underwent surgery with the use of the anterolateral approach (according to Watson-Jones).