The Impact of Total Hip Arthroplasty on Pelvic Motion and Functional Component Position is Highly Variable

This study’s purpose was to determine the impact of THA implantation on pelvic motion, and to assess motion in patients with a history of lumbar fusion or prosthetic dislocation.

This was an IRB-approved, prospective investigation of 3 cohorts: (1) patients without a history of lumbar surgery undergoing THA (group A), (2) patients with a lumbar fusion (group B), and (3) patients with a THA prosthetic dislocation (group C). All patients received both standing and sitting lateral pelvis images to measure sacral slope and pelvic tilt in the sagittal plane.

Fifty-eight patients were enrolled (24 group A, 27 group B, and 7 group C), with no differences in age, gender, or body mass index (P = .1-.7). In group A, the mean change in sacral slope from standing to sitting was 22.1° ± 15.2° preoperatively and 19.5° ± 14.8° postoperatively. However, in 13 patients, the difference in pelvic motion from the standing to seated position, from preoperatively to postoperatively, was >5° and in 10 patients, this difference was >10°.

The change in standing to sitting sacral slope was significantly less in patients with a lumbar fusion (9.8° ± 8.2°) and history of prosthetic dislocation (12.5° ± 4.7°) vs group A (P < .001 and P = .008).

Implantation of a THA can increase or decrease sagittal plane pelvic motion from the standing to seated position with a high degree of variability. Thus, the ability to predict ideal component positioning from preoperative images may be challenging.