Minimally invasive total hip replacement

Abstract

At present, minimally invasive surgery is the main trend of orthopaedic surgery and involves almost all its fields, joint replacement included. A total hip arthroplasty should be considered minimally invasive only if bone resection is limited to pathologic tissues (conservative replacement) and the procedure is performed without major sacrifice of soft tissues. This last statement suggests that the term “mini-incisions” be substituted with “mini-approaches”, meaning surgical approaches that respect not only the skin, but also fascia, tendons and muscles. Bone preservation may be obtained through proximal load, neck-retaining and resurfacing implants. Evaluating bone sacrifice both on the femoral side and on the acetabular side, neck-retaining arthroplasties seem to warrant the most balanced maintenance of bone tissue. Neck-preserving implants through a lateral or posterior mini-approach seem to be the most consolidated solution in minimally invasive total hip replacement.