COMPARISON BETWEEN SUPERPATH APPROACH vs POSTEROLATERAL APPROACH IN PRIMARY TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY: A 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP

F. Simone¹ , G. Vicenti¹ , C. Prota², G. Colasuonno¹ , M. Trabace¹, B. Moretti³ , G. Solarino⁴

¹ Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, School of Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, AOU Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
² Medical student, Orthopaedics Unit, Department of Basic Medical Science, Neuroscience and Sensory Organs, School of Medicine, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, AOU Consorziale Policlinico, Bari, Italy
³ School of Medicine University of Bari “Aldo Moro” – AOU Consorziale – “Policlinico” – Department of Basic Medical Sciences; Neuroscience and Sense Organs, Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit, Bari, Italy
⁴ Orthopaedics University of Bari “Aldo Moro”- AOU Policlinico Consorziale, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Trauma Unit, Bari, Italy

Correspondence to:

Journal of Orthopedics 2023 May-Aug; 15(2): 87-94
https://doi.org/10.69149/orthopedics/2023v15iss2_7

Received: 23 June 2023 Accepted: 14 August 2023

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Abstract

Total Hip Replacement has become one of the most successful orthopaedic procedures, optimizing patients’ life quality and postoperative mobility. In the last few years has rapidly grown a demand for novel mininvasive THA techniques. The supercapsular percutaneously assisted total hip (SuperPath) technique has gradually become more popular in THA surgery in recent years. Purpose of this paper is to compare difference between SuperPath approach and conventional posterolateral approach in total hip arthroplasty. This was a prospective, randomized controlled study, enrolling a total of 120 patients, 60 treated with a SuperPath and 60 with posterolateral approach, treated in our institution from August 2019 to Decembre 2022. General demographic characteristics, intraoperative data hospitalization time were collected.  As primary endpoint, the Harris Hip Score was calculated to assess functional recovery. Pain management, need for transfusion, and hospital stay were evaluated as secondary endpoints. HHS scores showed that these were significantly higher in the SuperPATH group than in the conventional group (P<0.05) at 1 month and 3 months after the intervention, while no significant difference was found at 6 months. Hospitalization time in the SuperPATH group was significantly shorter than in the conventional group (P<0.05). These results suggested that the SuperPATH approach promotes the speed of recovery for hip function and reduces pain in THA patients.

Keywords: comparison, posterolateral approach, SuperPath, total hip arthroplasty