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Published on: September 7, 2022
Impact of preoperative function on early postoperative outcome after total hip arthroplasty
Henning R Johansson1, Philipp Bergschmidt, Ralf Skripitz
1Department of Orthopaedics, University of Rostock, Germany.
Purpose:
To investigate the impact of preoperative functional status on early postoperative outcomes after total hip arthroplasty (THA).
Methods:
39 men and 36 women aged 50 to 76 years who underwent cementless THA for osteoarthritis were followed up for at least 2 years. Patients were evaluated pre- and post-operatively (at 6, 12, and 24 months) using the Harris Hip Score (HHS), 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Patients were classified into 3 groups based on their preoperative HHS (poor, <45; intermediate, 45-55; good, >55). Differences between and within groups were compared.
Results:
Patients with a poor preoperative HHS had worse early postoperative outcomes in terms of HHS, SF-36, and WOMAC. Postoperative pain and function correlated with preoperative HHS, but postoperative range of motion and deformity did not.
Conclusion:
Poor preoperative function may affect recovery unfavourably and lead to prolonged pain. Earlier THA in the course of functional decline may associate with better outcomes.
