Postoperative Complications of the Lateral Approach vs the Posterior Approach of Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty; Systematic Review/Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Total hip arthroplasty is used widely around the world as one of the most effective procedures for relieving pain, restoring hip function, and improving quality of life in patients with painful deformed hip joints. Improvements in hip arthroplasty procedures have led to faster functional recovery, shorter hospitalization, and higher patient satisfaction. The choice of the surgical approach depends on patient factors, surgeon preference and institutional guidelines. While, the surgical practice is still split between the posterior and the lateral approach representing a gap of knowledge. We have provided a concise review and meta-analysis of the postoperative complications of 1ry total hip arthroplasty in the lateral vs the posterior approach. We have found that the posterior approach seems to be safer and with lower risk of complications but still we need more multi-arm randomized controlled trials to improve the quality of evidence and the clinical significance.