Total Hip Arthroplasty via Lateral Approach in Supine Position

With patients becoming more affluent and progression in development of bioengineering materials, total hip arthroplasty (THA) has become popular for serious hip diseases such as aseptic necrosis of the femoral head¹, osteoarthritis of the hip², developmental dysplasia of the hip³ and failed internal fixation for femoral neck fractures⁴. There are several different approaches and positions for performing THA⁵. Generally, surgeons use a specific approach and position only because that is what they were taught. In China, nowadays most surgeons use a posterior‐lateral approach with the patient in a lateral position. In our unit, we have been using a lateral approach with a supine position for THA for almost 20 years. We have found that the total time for preparation and operation is shorter than for other approaches and that the surgeons can more easily control the angle and length, thus decreasing the risk of dislocation.