Minimally Invasive Hip Arthroplasty via SuperPath Approach in Obese Patients - A Prospective Study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Procedures
• Arthroplasty

Background:

• The efficacy of minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty (THA) in obese patients remains a subject of debate.
• Obesity presents unique challenges in orthopedic surgery, potentially affecting outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of obese patients undergoing THA with normal-weight patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the minimally invasive SuperPath approach in a cohort with varying body mass indexes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 476 patients undergoing THA via the SuperPath approach.
• Patients were categorized by BMI according to WHO criteria.
• Clinical outcomes assessed using the Forgotten Joint Score (FJS), and radiographic analysis performed using mediCad software.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in complication rates or Forgotten Joint Score (FJS-12) were observed between weight groups at 1-year follow-up.
• Obese patients (grades 2 and 3) exhibited significantly higher inclination angles compared to normal-weight patients.
• Anteversion angles varied significantly between underweight and obese groups, but not overall clinical outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The minimally invasive SuperPath THA approach yields equivalent clinical and radiographic outcomes at one year for obese and normal-weight patients.
• The SuperPath approach appears safe and effective across a spectrum of patient weights.
• Further research may explore long-term outcomes and specific implant positioning nuances in obese populations.