Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty for Femoral Neck Fractures in the Lateral Position

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of artificial total hip arthroplasty(THA) for femoral neck fracture between direct anterior approach(DAA) in lateral position and posterior lateral approach(PLA).
Methods: Comparison of 200 cases of patients who underwent THA collected between September 2019 and August 2021 was done. Incision length, intraoperative bleeding, operative time, difference in postoperative haemoglobin from preoperative levels, length of hospital stay, postoperative time to get off the floor, visual analogue score (VAS) for pain, preoperative and postoperative Harris scores for the hip, and measurements of the acetabular abduction angle and anterior acetabular tilt angle at 6 months postoperatively were collected, and all the cases were followed up for at least 2 years.
Results: Compared with the PLA group, the DAA group had a shorter incision length, less intraoperative blood loss, less postoperative haemoglobin reduction compared with the preoperative period, a shorter hospital stay and an earlier first time to get off the floor after surgery, however, the comparison of operative times was not statistically significant; Patients in the DAA group had a lower VAS in the early postoperative period compared to PLA; Patients in the DAA group had higher hip Harris scores at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively; There was no significant difference in acetabular abduction angle and acetabular anterior tilt angle between the two groups at 6 months postoperatively.
Conclusion: Compared to PLA, DAA in THA is minimally invasive, has less pain, less bleeding, earlier time out of bed, shorter hospital stay, better early hip function, faster rehabilitation, and better joint stability.

Keywords: direct lateral approach, DAA, femoral neck fractures, total hip arthroplasty, THA, Hip function, postoperative rehabilitation