Regional Differences Between US and Europe in Radiological Osteoarthritis and Self Assessed Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty Surgery

Precise indications for THA remain unclear and regional differences might exist in selecting patients for surgery. In this study we investigate radiological OA grade and self-reported quality of life in 909 patients undergoing THA in 16 centers across US and Europe. Patients in US were younger and had higher BMI. More patients with mild Tönnis OA grade underwent surgery in the US compared to Europe. Patients in the US had significantly higher pain VAS and significantly lower SF-36 Physical, while having significantly higher EQ-VAS scores preoperatively. Patient demographics and disease severity according to radiological OA grade and self-reported survey scores vary between the United States and Europe. This knowledge can be used in the interpretation of US and European based studies on outcome following THA.