Effect of surgical approach for total hip replacement on hip function using Harris Hip scores and Trendelenburg's test. A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis of osteoarthritis patients undergoing primary hip arthroplasty, to assess which surgical approach produces the best functional results at one-year post-operatively, using common clinical scoring systems and tests. The aim of this study was to compare the anterolateral and the posterior approaches to total hip arthroplasty using Harris Hip scores and Trendelenburg's test by looking at pre-operative results and comparing them to post-operative results.
METHODS: Data from 3416 consecutive cases were extracted from a multicentre database, maintained by the Tayside Arthroplasty Audit Group (TAAG) situated in Tayside, using only patients who had undergone a primary hip arthroplasty and had a clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
RESULTS: Analysis showed that there was statistically significant difference between the two approaches for Harris Hip score (p = 0.0344), Harris Hip function score (p = 0.0035) and Trendelenburg Test (p =< 0.00001). The posterior approach showed larger improvements in Harris Hip scores. There was an increased incidence of dislocation in the posterior approach group (6.9%) but an increased incidence of Trendelenburg gait in anterolateral approach group (5.7%). It was found that patients who suffered a dislocation had similar functional outcomes for both groups with no statistical difference.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there may be benefit in using a posterior approach to primary total hip arthroplasty but due to limitations of the data within this study further more detailed research is required.