Background: The rehabilitation of patients for total hip arthroplasty is unsatisfactory, especially the prolonged rehabilitation.
Aims: To explore indications and key points of anterolateral minimally-invasive total hip arthroplasty.
Methods: 110 patients admitted for unilateral total hip arthroplasty were randomly selected for surgery with either anterolateral minimally-invasive incision or standard posterolateral incision. Demographic data, perioperative index and postoperative function index were recorded and statistically analyzed.
Results: No significant difference was detected in operation time, abduction angle, anteversion angle, stem alignment and stem fixation. The incision length, blood loss, perioperative transfusion and 100-mm VAS score at the first 24 h in minimally-invasive group were significantly lower. The Harris hip score and Barthel index were significantly higher in minimally-invasive group at 3 months' follow-up, but not significantly different 3 years after operation.
Conclusions: There are fewer traumas, fewer blood losses and more rapid recovery in this approach.