Home    中文  
 
  • Search
  • lucene Search
  • Citation
  • Fig/Tab
  • Adv Search
Just Accepted  |  Current Issue  |  Archive  |  Featured Articles  |  Most Read  |  Most Download  |  Most Cited

Chinese Journal of Joint Surgery(Electronic Edition) ›› 2026, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (03): 291-298. doi: 10.3877/cma.j.issn.1674-134X.2026.03.005

• CLINICAL RESEARCH • Previous Articles    

Total hip arthroplasty for correction of pelvic obliquity and leg length discrepancy in developmental dysplasia of hip

Peng Sun1,2, Qiangqiang Li1,2, Yu Zhang1,2, Dongyang Chen1,2, Qiang Jiang1,2,()   

  1. 1 Division of Sports Medicine and Adult Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210008, China
    2 Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Nanjing 210008, China
  • Received:2025-12-30 Online:2026-06-01 Published:2026-07-30
  • Contact: Qiang Jiang

Abstract:

Objective

To evaluate the corrective effect of direct anterior approach total hip arthroplasty (DAA-THA) on leg length discrepancy (LLD) and pelvic obliquity (PO) in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), and to analyze the factors influencing improvement.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 111 patients with DDH of Crowe typeⅠ-Ⅳ who underwent unilateral DAA-THA in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between January 2018 and June 2024. Inclusion criteria: radiologically confirmed DDH, primary unilateral DAA-THA, and complete imaging data. Patients with hip or lumbar surgery history, severe trauma, or other conditions affecting pelvic or lower limb alignment were excluded. The cohort included patients aged 42-84 years with a body mass index (BMI) of 18.7 to 34.0 kg/m2; 50 cases were left-sided (45.0%) and 61 were right-sided (55.0%). According to Crowe classification, 89 cases were type Ⅰ (80.2%), 15 cases of type Ⅱ (13.5%), five cases of type Ⅲ (4.5%), and two cases of type Ⅳ (1.8%). LLD, PO, and sacro-femoral-pubic (SFP) angle were measured on standardized anteroposterior pelvic radiographs. Data before and after operation were compared, and subgroup analyses were performed according to Crowe classification. Statistical analyses included paired t test, Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariate linear regression.

Results

All the patients were followed for 2.0 (0, 6.0) months. The mean age was (60±11) years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was (25±5) kg/m2. Median disease duration was 84 (36, 120) months. After surgery, LLD decreased from 9.0 (5.3, 17.3) mm to 7.9 (3.6, 12.8) mm (Z=−3.874, P<0.001). PO decreased from 2.5 (1.7, 4.2)° to 2.3 (1.2, 4.2)° (Z=−2.294, P=0.022). The SFP angle increased from 62.0 (58.0, 64.9)° to 67.2 (63.1, 71.8)° (Z=−8.358, P<0.001). In subgroup analysis, the LLD change was 4.25 (−2.93, 8.70) mm in the patients of Crowe typeⅠ-Ⅱ and 11.73 (3.31, 29.60) mm in the patients of Crowe type Ⅲ-Ⅳ, while PO change was 0.40 (−1.00, 1.80)° in Crowe typeⅠ-Ⅱ and 1.90 (0.10, 2.70)° in Crowe type Ⅲ-Ⅳ, none of the difference was statistically significant (U=231.0, 263.0, both P>0.05). Multivariate regression showed that preoperative LLD was an independent predictor of LLD correction [β=0.867, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.723, 1.010), P<0.001]. In the PO model, intraoperative blood loss [β=−0.104, 95% CI (−0.198, −0.010), P=0.030] and BMI [β=0.156, 95% CI (0.046, 0.266), P=0.006] were significant predictors. In the SFP model, preoperative SFP angle (β=−0.241, 95% CI (−0.428, 0.055), P=0.012) and Crowe classification [β=0.296, 95% CI (0.110, 0.481), P=0.002] were independently associated with improvement.

Conclusions

DAA-THA effectively improves LLD and sagittal pelvic alignment in DDH. However, correction of PO shows a improvement trend with no statistically significant difference. DDH of Crowe type Ⅲ-Ⅳ demonstrates greater improvement in SFP angle compared with Crowe typeⅠ-Ⅱ. Preoperative LLD is the primary predictor of LLD correction, while PO correction is influenced by preoperative PO, BMI, and intraoperative blood loss. SFP angle improvement is associated with preoperative SFP angle and Crowe classification. DAA-THA provides favorable short-term radiographic outcomes, but further large-scale studies with longer follow-up are required to confirm long-term efficacy.

Key words: Arthroplasty, replacement, hip, Developmental dysplasia of the hip, Leg length inequality, Pelvis

京ICP 备07035254号-20
Copyright © Chinese Journal of Joint Surgery(Electronic Edition), All Rights Reserved.
Tel: 020-83189181,020-83062381 E-mail: cjojs1@126.com
Powered by Beijing Magtech Co. Ltd