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

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Background/Aim. Total hip arthroplasty is the replacement of the hip joint with an artificial one. Standard surgical procedures involve a long skin incision and extensive dissection of healthy tissue. Mini-incision surgery is a modification of standard operative approaches. In addition to a significantly smaller skin incision, the main difference is based on much less damage to soft tissues, especially the muscles that move the hip. The aim of this study was to compare the early results of the mini-incision and a standard approach in total hip arthroplasty and to determine the advantages and disadvantages of the mini-incision surgical technique. Methods. 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 Orthopaedic Surgery ?Banjica?, Belgrade from 2004 to 2010. All the patients suffered from primary coxarthrosis. All operations were carried out by the same surgical team. All patients were clinically evaluated before and after the surgery using the Harris Hip Score (HHS). Results. The group of patients operated on with the mini-incision approach included 32 patients, while 31 patients made up the group of patients operated on with the standard approach. Comparing these groups did not reveal a statistically significant difference in age, body mass index, surgery duration, and HHS before the surgery. A statistically significant difference was determined by comparing intraoperative blood loss, the amount of drainage fluid after the surgery, and the HHS after the surgery. Conclusion. The mini-incision posterolateral approach, compared to the standard approach, apart from an esthetically more acceptable scar, achieves significantly less intraoperative blood loss and better hip function with almost the same risk of complications.