Minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty in a Chinese population.

From April 2003 to April 2004, the records of 24 patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) through an anterolateral mini-incision technique (MIS group) were reviewed. They were matched by diagnosis, gender, average age, and body-mass index to those with a traditional-incision technique (control group). The clinical significances in terms of operative time, blood loss, pain level and length of stay were compared. Mean patient age in the MIS group (12 patients) was 56 years; 9 patients were women. Average body mass index was 24.6. Mean operative time was 113 minutes. Average incision length was 8.3 cm for the initial incision. Fifty percent required extension of the incision length, which became 9 cm after wound closure. Mean length of hospital stay was 11 days. Average intraoperative blood loss was 504.2 mL and postoperative drain output was 491.7 mL. Average blood transfusion was 0.8 units. Ninety-two percent of patients required only one oral analgesic for pain control. Mean visual acuity score (VAS) was 1.8 on postoperative day 3. When compared with the control group (average incision length of 15), statistically significant differences (P < .05) were noted in terms of intraoperative blood loss, length of stay, and VAS. Anterolateral mini-incision technique for primary THA is a safe method without ignificant complications.