Minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty: internet claims made by members of the Hip Society.

We searched the Internet for Web sites related to 106 members of the Hip Society. Web sites (private and/or hospital affiliated) for each surgeon were evaluated for the term "minimally invasive total hip replacement" and its related names. One hundred two of the 106 Hip Society members (96%) had Web sites. Of the 102 Web sites, eight Web sites had links to multiple members of the Hip Society, resulting in 94 distinct sites. Nineteen percent (19 of 102 members) of Hip Society members made reference to minimally invasive hip surgery. 11% (10 of 94 sites) of Web sites included references to minimally invasive hip surgery. When the terms fast or quicker recovery were evaluated, 14% (14 of 102 members) of surgeons used these terms. There were references to these terms on 6% (six of 94 sites) of the members' Web sites. Two incision techniques were discussed by only 10% (10 of 102 members) of members, and reported on 4% (four of 94 sites) of Web sites. In contrast, only 26% (five of 19 members) of Hip Society members and 30% (three of 10 sites) of Web sites reported the risks. Although minimally invasive hip arthroplasty frequently is discussed and advertised by some surgeons, only a small percentage of Hip Society members actually promote or make claims to these techniques on their Web sites.