Acetabular Component Positioning in Primary THA Via an Anterior, Posterolateral, or Posterolateral-navigated Surgical Technique

The purpose of this study was to compare the acetabular component alignment in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) via 3 surgical techniques: direct anterior using intraoperative fluoroscopy, posterolateral using an external alignment guide (posterolateral conventional), and posterolateral using computer navigation (posterolateral navigated). Two surgeons performed the direct, anterior THAs; 2 surgeons performed the posterolateral-conventional THAs; and 1 surgeon performed the posterolateral-navigated THAs. The most recent 110 THAs performed using each approach were reviewed, and Einsel-Bild-Roentgen analysis software was used to measure the acetabular component abduction and anteversion. One-way analysis of variance showed the anterior cohort to have a more horizontal alignment of the acetabular component (P,.001); 90.9% of the acetabular components in the posterolateral- navigated cohort were within 40°610° and 15°610° for both acetabular abduction and anteversion, respectively, vs 70% in the posterolateral-conventional (P,.001), and 68.2% in the anterior cohort (P,.001). The anterior technique using intraoperative fluoroscopy does not improve acetabular positioning compared with the conventional, posterolateral technique.