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Direct Anterior Hip Replacement

What is Direct Anterior Approach Hip Replacement Surgery?

Direct anterior hip replacement is a minimally invasive hip surgery to replace the hip joint without cutting through any muscles or tendons as against traditional hip replacement that involves cutting major muscles to access the hip joint.

Anterior Hip Replacement Procedure

Anterior hip replacement surgery is performed under general anesthesia or regional anesthesia. You will lie down on your back, on a special operating table that enables your surgeon to perform the surgery from the front of the hip. Your surgeon may use fluoroscopic imaging during the surgery to ensure the accuracy of component positioning and to minimize leg length inequality.

Your surgeon will make an incision, about 4 inches long on the front of the hip. The muscles are pushed aside to gain access to the joint and perform the replacement. Next, the femur is separated from the acetabular socket. The acetabular surface is prepared using a special instrument called a reamer. The acetabular component is cemented or fixed with screws into the socket. Then a liner made up of plastic, metal, or ceramic is placed inside the acetabular component.

The femoral head that is worn out is cut off and the femur is prepared using special instruments so that the new metal component fits the bone properly. Then, the new femoral component is inserted into the femur either by a press fit or by using special bone cement. The femoral head component made of ceramic or metal is then placed on the femoral stem.

Once the artificial components are fixed in place, the instruments are withdrawn and incisions are closed with sutures and covered with a sterile dressing.

Risks and Complications of Anterior Hip Replacement

All surgeries carry an element of risk, whether it is related to the anesthesia or the procedure itself. Risks and complications with anterior hip replacement are rare, but can occur and may include:

Infection at the incision site or joint space
Fracture
Nerve damage
Hemarthrosis - excess bleeding into the joint after the surgery
Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot)
Leg length inequality

Post-operative Care for Anterior Hip Replacement

Your doctor will give you specific instructions to be followed at home for a faster recovery. These include:

Take medications as prescribed to relieve pain and prevent infection.
Participate in physical therapy to restore hip function and strength.
Eat a healthy diet and do not smoke to facilitate healing and promote a faster recovery.
Contact your doctor if you observe increasing swelling or redness in the operated area.

After traditional hip replacement surgery, you would be instructed to follow precautions to prevent your new hip from dislocating. These guidelines are very restrictive and include:

No bending or flexing of the hip past 90 degrees.
No crossing of legs
Use a pillow between the legs when sleeping.
Use an elevated toilet seat.

As anterior hip replacement uses a muscle-sparing technique there is increased joint stability after surgery and in most cases, these precautions are not needed.