Perceived complexity of total hip arthroplasty: results of a survey of orthopedic surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: No analysis of the perception of the complexity of total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been performed so far. This study aimed to evaluate the perceived complexity of the disorders faced by orthopedic surgeons in the evaluation process prior to THA.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A three-part online survey was administered to orthopedic surgeons. In the first part, the participants were asked questions about demographic and academic knowledge, as well as their experiences with THA. In the second part, it was asked to rate the complexity of certain disorders, such as soft tissue abnormalities, ankylosis/arthrodesis, dysplastic hip, high dislocated hip, post-traumatic arthrosis, protrusio acetabuli, etc., on a scale of one to five. Perceived complexity was classified as mild if the calculated mean score was <1.67, moderate if it was between 1.67 and 3.34, and complex if it was >3.34. In the last section, the effects of perceived complexity on surgical preferences were investigated.

RESULTS: THA administered for femoral neck fracture was graded as the least complex surgical challenge (mean score of 1.85±0.99), while high dislocated hip (Crowe III-IV) was scored with the highest mean score of 4.10±0.99. None of the disorders were evaluated as easy by orthopedic surgeons. Disorders of the high dislocated hip (Crowe III-IV) and protrusio acetabuli were identified as the most complicated cases by surgeons.

CONCLUSIONS: Perception of complexity affected preference for surgical approach. Besides, the level of education after participating in a course related to THA may affect the preferences of orthopedic surgeons when planning an operation.