Prevalence of dislocation after total hip arthroplasty through a posterolateral approach with partial capsulotomy and capsulorrhaphy.

The senior author altered his surgical technique during total hip arthroplasty from capsulectomy and capsulotomy with closure of the external rotator muscles to capsulotomy and capsulorrhaphy. One thousand patients (500 treated with each procedure) were studied retrospectively in order to determine the prevalences of dislocation after surgery with the two different techniques. The prevalence of dislocation was 2.8% after the capsulectomy and capsulotomy, whereas it was 0.6% after the new technique; this was a significant decrease in the rate of dislocation (p < 0.005, [symbol: see text] = 0.10).