Two-incision minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty: techniques and results to date.

The two-incision minimally invasive technique for total hip arthroplasty is described in detail, with attention to pearls of technique, for a prospective group of 200 patients, as well as a matched-pair group of 43 patients who underwent either the two-incision procedure or the mini-incision (single-incision posterior) procedure. The importance of a total hip critical pathway is emphasized, and the economic benefits are presented. Results reveal that the two-incision and mini-incision techniques have acceptable complication rates, are cost effective, and are beneficial to the patient, with reduced hospital stays, high patient satisfaction, and earlier return to function.