Total Hip Arthroplasty in Untreated Ankylosing Spondylitis: Tips and Tricks to Avoid Complications

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a seronegative inflammatory disease that progressively affects the spine and sacroiliac joints and is more common in men with the B 27 human leucocyte antigen. This leads to inflammation, synovitis and, eventually, secondary arthritis in the hips of those affected. Hips of those affected are often completely ankylosed at time of presentation to the orthopedic surgeon. Total hip arthroplasty offers a stable mobile hip for patients who are functionally disabled due to their debilitating disease. As disease progresses, the native hip anatomy, which is familiar to orthopedic surgeon in routine total hip arthroplasties for osteoarthritis, can be distorted by complete ankyloses. These surgeons must be aware of the unique technical challenges and considerations with regard to, anesthesia, OR setup, patient positioning, implant choice, and potential complications. The tips and tricks presented in this case provided the patient with a successful outcome due to careful planning and utilization of the described technical pearls.
Source: Techniques in Orthopaedics - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Special Technical Articles Source Type: research