Background: Major vascular injury is one of the most devastating complications in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Risk for intraoperative vascular injury is increased when the normal vascular anatomy is distorted by previous surgery or dislocation with displacement. Therefore, an appreciation of the vascular anatomy in relation to the anticipated surgical field is critical to avoid this complication during preoperative assessment for a complicated THA.
Methods: Preoperative three-dimensional (3D) CT angiography was performed for 24 complicated THAs when altered vascular anatomy around the acetabulum was suspected. When assessing the CT images, the presence of apparent proliferation of vessels close to the original acetabulum as well as a distance of <10 mm from the artery to the acetabulum was deemed a potential risk factor for intraoperative vascular injury. Additionally, the relationships of clinical characteristics and the presence of these risk factors were analyzed to identify the patient population at risk.
Results: The incidence of proliferation of collateral vessels was higher in patient groups with proximal femoral migration of 5 cm or more and multiple previous surgeries prior to the index THA. Moreover, in three ankylosed hips, lateral deviation of the main vascular trunk with an artery-acetabulum distance of <10 mm was identified in all cases.
Conclusion: Preoperative 3D-CT angiography in cases of complicated THA revealed altered vascular anatomy which may increase the risk for intraoperative vascular injuries. Patient characteristics related to the risk for this complication were marked proximal femoral migration, multiple previous surgeries, and hip ankylosis. Preoperative image examination of the vascular anatomy is thought to help reduce the risk of inadvertent vascular injury in these complicated THA cases.