SuperPATH Minimally Invasive Approach to Total Hip Arthroplasty of Femoral Neck Fractures in the Elderly: Preliminary Clinical Results

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and advantages of the SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty in the treatment of femoral neck fractures in the elderly. METHODS: From January 2016 to September 2018, 110 cases of elderly patients with femoral neck fractures were included in the present study. According to the method of operation, the patients were divided into two groups for comparison. There were 55 cases of the SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty and 55 cases with the conventional posterolateral approach to total hip arthroplasty. The operation time, the length of incision, the amount of operative blood loss, the hospitalization time, and the hospitalization cost were compared between the two groups. The position of total hip prosthesis was observed during the follow‐up period. All patients were evaluated for the degree of hip joint pain and the function of the hip joint using the visual analog score (VAS) and the Harris score at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the operation. RESULTS: All patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The operation time was 108.58 ± 15.87 min in the SuperPATH group and 102.51 ± 19.61 min in the conventional group. The length of incision was 6.65 ± 1.53 cm in the SuperPATH group and 17.08 ± 1.40 cm in the conventional group. The amount of operative blood loss was 147.51 ± 28.84 mL in the SuperPATH group and 170.22 ± 25.34 mL in the conventional group. The hospitalization time was 10.05 ± 2.52 days in the SuperPATH group and 13.36 ± 3.39 days in the conventional group. The hospitalization cost was 6871.78 ± 141.63 dollars in the SuperPATH group and 7791.09 ± 184.88 dollars in the conventional group. Compared with the conventional group, the SuperPATH group had shorter incision length, less blood loss, shorter hospitalization time, and lower hospitalization cost. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the two groups, there were no complications such as infection, lower extremity venous thrombosis, prosthesis loosening, periprosthetic fracture, and dislocation during the follow‐up period. The VAS score was 4.45 ± 0.94 in the SuperPATH group and 4.89 ± 0.79 in the conventional group at 1 week after the operation. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). The Harris score was 75.36 ± 3.36 and 80.25 ± 3.09 in the SuperPATH group and 68.80 ± 3.25 and 77.35 ± 3.77 in the conventional group at 1 week and 1 month after the operation, respectively. There was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05). In the analysis of the operation time, the VAS score at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the operation, and the Harris score at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The SuperPATH minimally invasive approach to total hip arthroplasty is an ideal method for the treatment of femoral neck fractures in the elderly. This method has the advantages of the relatively simple operation, short incision, less blood loss, and less trauma. The patients had short hospitalization times, low hospitalization costs, and good recovery of hip joint function.