Short-Term Safety of the Direct Superior Approach for Total Hip Arthroplasty

Introduction: Minimally invasive surgery total hip arthroplasty (MIS-THA) is becoming increasingly popular. ere are several approaches to MIS-THA that vary according to anatomical access to the hip joint. The direct superior (DS) approach is a recent modification of an MIS posterior approach that spares the iliotibial band and most of the short external rotators of the hip, particularly the quadratus femoris. While FDA approved, there is a lack of data in the current literature on DS outcomes and the safety of this approach is yet to be systematically evaluated. Materials and Methods: The goal of this study is to provide a quantitative analysis of the safety and complications of primary DS-total hip arthroplasty at 90 days post-surgery through a retrospective multicenter case series of 301 patients. Special attention was given to intra- and postoperative complications, readmissions, mean operative time, hospital-stay length, and postoperative ambulation distance. Results: Surgical complications included three (1%) intraoperative calcar fractures and four (1%) postoperative peri-prosthetic fractures. The postoperative medical complication rate was 3% with four (1%) patients requiring readmission. The mean operative time was 70 +/- 19 minutes, hospital-stay length 41 +/- 19 hours, and the estimated blood loss (EBL) was 213 +/- 129 ml. There were no acute episodes of instability at 90-day follow up. The intra- and postoperative results are similar with those reported in the literature for both the anterior and posterior approaches. Conclusion: This study indicates that the DS approach appears to be safe with a low complication rate at 90 days that is comparable to more conventional approaches, such as the direct anterior and posterior techniques. This information is also valuable for the evaluation of reimbursements for DS-THA as current bundled-payment models heavily emphasize 90-day outcomes and complications. Long-term direct comparative studies with the anterior and posterior approaches is required to fully evaluate DS-THAs.