Background: Fused hips with spine stiffness in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) reduce spinopelvic mobility. We aimed to assess spinopelvic mobility pattern and acetabular anteversion in AS after total hip arthroplasty (THA).
Material and methods: Ninety-four stiff hips in 58 AS individuals (mean age: 37.05) who underwent THA between 2012 and 2018 with a modified lateral approach were included. Twenty-three hips were fused, and 71 hips had mean flexion of 37.67°. Pelvic tilt, pelvic inclination, sacral slope (SS), and lumbar lordosis were correlated with THA, and functional outcomes were assessed at 34.6-month mean follow-up.
Results: Thirty-seven had a stuck sitting pattern with stuck standing seen in 4 individuals. SS standing before and after THA were 25.08° and 27.30°. SS sitting was 8.99° compared to 16.80°. SS from sitting to standing was reduced (17.7°) in 17 individuals. Spine stiffness in extension was seen in 4 out of 37. Mean acetabular inclination after THA was 42.67°, and acetabular anteversion was 17.48°. Flexion after THA improved to mean 98.47°. Changes in SS from sitting to standing were correlated with THA (r-value: 0.93, P-value: .0001). The Harris Hip Score improved from 25.31 to 82.39 (P-value <.05), and the mean 12-item Short Form Survey at review was 52.18 and 59.55 (physical and mental components). The mean Western Ontario and Mc Master Universities Arthritis Index score was 17.56.
Conclusions: Spinopelvic mobility change was <10° after THA in AS, stuck sitting was seen in 37 of 58 (63.8%), and stuck standing was seen in 4 of 58 (6.9%), including spine stiffness in flexion or extension. Acetabular anteversion assessed was 17.48° (standard deviation: 4.41), with significant functional improvement.
Level of evidence: Level 4.
Keywords: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS); Spine stiffness; Spinopelvic mobility; Stiff hips.
© 2022 The Authors.