Methods

From March, 2010 to April, 2011, a total of 231 consecutive primary THA were performed. Of these, 218 hips met the inclusion criteria of treatment using the superior capsulotomy surgical technique¹ (Fig. 1), navigation of acetabular component implantation using a patient-specific mechanical navigation device (HipSextant™ navigation System, Surgical Planning Associates, Inc., Boston, MA)², and patient age less than 80 years. Mean age of the patients was 57.3 years (range 23.5–79.9 years). The superior capsulotomy approach¹ was used in all cases. This technique allows for both the femoral and the acetabular components to be placed with the patient in a lateral position through an incision in the superior capsule, posterior to the abductors and anterior to the short external rotators. The hip is not dislocated during surgery. Rather, the femur is prepared in situ through the top of the femoral neck, the neck is then transected, and the femoral head is excised en bloc. The acetabulum is prepared under direct vision using angled reamers, and the socket is placed with an offset inserter. The final construct is then reduced in situ. The protocol also involved the use of pre-emptive oral analgesia, pre-emptive autologous blood transfusion, and immediate mobilization³. Length of stay and disposition in this study group were compared to a cohort of 698 total hip arthroplasty performed at the same institution by all other techniques.