The applied anatomy of anterior approach for minimally invasive hip joint surgery.

The anterior approach for minimally invasive hip joint surgery is one of the common approaches utilized in hip joint surgery. Here, we report the results of dissections in 60 sides of human adult cadavers. We observed and measured the branches of the superficial circumflex iliac artery, the lateral femoral cutaneous nerves, the lateral circumflex femoral artery, and the superior gluteal nerves in the experiment via the anterior approach for minimally invasive hip joint surgery. The relationship between these structures and the anterior approach was studied. The present study provides important data demonstrating the location, path of dominant structures that might be encountered during the surgery and their relationships with the surgical incision. These data may allow surgeons performing the anterior approach for hip joint surgery to minimize the risk of neurovascular injury. Copyright 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.