Total hip arthroplasty through the mini-incision (Micro-hip) approach versus the standard transgluteal (Bauer) approach: a prospective, randomised study

A total of 143 patients, 80 women and 63 men, with primary hip osteoarthritis were randomly scheduled to undergo unilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) either through a mini-incision approach (micro-hip) or a standard, lateral, transgluteal approach (Bauer). The purpose of the study was to compare the post-operative outcomes of both approaches for THA. Results indicated that the micro-hip group achieved a significantly lower incision length, mean surgical time, mean hemoglobin level reduction, and pain level from hour 6 to day 6 postoperatively in comparison to the Bauer group. In addition, it was noted that the complication rates were similar between the two study groups. However, at the 3 month follow-up, there were no significant differences found in the functional scores or the general health status among the two groups.