Comparison of clinical efficacy between direct anterior approach and posterolateral approach in primary total hip arthroplasty

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the clinical efficacy of the direct anterior approach (DAA) vs. postero-lateral approach (PLA) in primary total hip arthro-plasty (THA). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 382 pa-tients who underwent primary THA in our hospi-tal from March 2016 to March 2021 were identi-fied as research subjects, with 183 patients in the DAA group and 199 in the PLA group. Outcome measures included operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative creatine kinase (CK), Har-ris score, visual analogue scale (VAS), postopera-tive hospital stay, and postoperative complications.RESULTS: DAA resulted in significantly longer operative time but lower intraoperative bleeding volume vs. PLA. Three months postoperatively, patients receiving DAA showed significantly low-er visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and higher Harris scores than those given PLA. No hip dislo-cation was observed in the DAA group.CONCLUSIONS: DAA results in less intraop-erative hemorrhage and muscle damage, better postoperative recovery, and a lower incidence of hip dislocation.

Automated summary

This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical efficacy of the direct anterior approach (DAA) vs. postero-lateral approach (PLA) in primary total hip arthroplasty. The results showed that DAA had longer operative time but lower intraoperative bleeding volume compared to PLA. Three months postoperatively, patients receiving DAA had lower visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and higher Harris scores. DAA can reduce intraoperative hemorrhage and muscle damage, promote better postoperative recovery, and have a lower incidence of hip dislocation.