Background: Minimally invasive approaches for Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) are extremely popular among both patients and surgeons. Even though many surgical techniques have been described with overall satisfactory results, one of the most feared complications that still burdens THA is early dislocation, particularly for the most popular, posterior-lateral, approach.
Objectives: The purpose of this report is to describe an original, minimally invasive, posterior-lateral technique, which spares the proximal external rotator muscle tendons of the hip (Higher External ROtator-Sparing; HEROS), while presenting its preliminary clinical and radiographic results.
Methods: From 2018 to 2020, 100 patients underwent THA, performed by the same surgeon using the HEROS technique. In all cases, the same cementless prosthesis was implanted. The Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) was obtained before surgery and at the last follow-up visit. The osteointegration and orientation of the prosthetic components were radiographically evaluated, and the restoration of the femoral offset was analyzed.
Results: Seventy-seven patients were assessed at a mean follow-up of 28 months. At the time of surgery, the average age of the patients was 72 years. There were 36 females and 41 males with a mean BMI of 27. The diagnoses were primary arthritis, avascular necrosis of the femoral head and fracture of the femoral neck. The mean surgical time was 76 minutes. The average MHHS score at follow-up was excellent. The mean offset variation was approximately 1 mm. There was an intra-operative fracture and an early infection of the wound. There were no dislocations. All patients returned to activities of daily living and were satisfied with the cosmetic appearance of the wound.
Conclusions: The present study confirmed that this simple, minimally invasive approach is effective for restoring pain-free joint function and preventing implant dislocation with a low incidence of complications.