This 2014 narrative review from the Rothman Institute evaluates the DAA for THA — its history from Hueter's 1881 description to modern resurgence, the surgical technique on both standard and fracture tables, and what the available evidence actually shows about outcomes and complications compared to posterior and lateral approaches.
When a patient asks about the "anterior approach" expecting faster recovery, set evidence-based expectations: early functional gains are real but disappear by 6 months, and the approach carries unique risks — LFCN injury, calcar and trochanteric fractures, and a steep learning curve — that must be weighed against surgeon experience and case volume.
This 2014 narrative review from the Rothman Institute evaluates the DAA for THA — its history from Hueter's 1881 description to modern resurgence, the surgical technique on both standard and fracture tables, and what the available evidence actually shows about outcomes and complications compared to posterior and lateral approaches.
When a patient asks about the "anterior approach" expecting faster recovery, set evidence-based expectations: early functional gains are real but disappear by 6 months, and the approach carries unique risks — LFCN injury, calcar and trochanteric fractures, and a steep learning curve — that must be weighed against surgeon experience and case volume.