Understanding Hip Surgical Approaches: A Review With Clinical and Imaging Correlation

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Radiology
• Anatomy

Background:

• Hip surgery encompasses arthroplasty and arthroscopy, employing diverse and evolving techniques.
• This diversity complicates the interpretation of postoperative imaging and assessment of surgical outcomes by clinicians.
• Multidisciplinary care necessitates a clear understanding of surgical approaches, anatomical pathways, and potential complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review key surgical access routes in hip procedures.
• To outline the technical features of these approaches.
• To highlight relevant postoperative findings and potential complications, including nerve and soft tissue issues.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of modern hip surgical techniques.
• Analysis of anatomical pathways for common hip surgical approaches.
• Identification and categorization of common postoperative findings and complications.

Main Results:

• Detailed summary of major hip surgical access routes (e.g., anterior, anterolateral, posterior, direct lateral).
• Description of the anatomical structures encountered and traversed by each approach.
• Catalog of frequent postoperative imaging findings and associated nerve or soft tissue complications specific to each approach.

Conclusions:

• A unified understanding of hip surgical access routes is crucial for accurate postoperative evaluation.
• Familiarity with surgical pathways aids radiologists and clinicians in identifying and interpreting complications.
• This review provides essential knowledge for improved multidisciplinary patient care following hip surgery.