Total hip arthroplasty in patients with vertebral compression fracture is associated with poor clinical outcomes – retrospective analysis on 453 cases

Abstract

PURPOSE: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is increasingly performed in older adults, and the prevalence of vertebral compression fracture (VCF) increases with age. We aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of THA in patients with VCF. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 453 patients who underwent THA at our institution between 2015 and 2021. We classified patients into those with and without VCF. VCF was identified using preoperative upright whole-spine radiographs. Spinal parameters, preoperative and 1-year postoperative clinical outcomes of the Harris hip score (HHS), Oxford hip score (OHS), and visual analog scale (VAS) for low back pain (LBP) were assessed. Furthermore, propensity score-matched cohorts for age, sex, body mass index, and spinal parameters were created, and the clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Among the 453 patients, 51 (11.3%) with VCF and 402 without VCF were identified. Before matching, patients with VCF were older (p < 0.01), had sagittal spinal imbalance (p < 0.01), and had worse clinical outcomes pre- and postoperatively. After matching 47 patients in both groups, patients with VCF had worse HHS (p < 0.05), especially regarding support and distance walked, and worse VAS scores for LBP (p < 0.05) pre- and postoperatively. However, the improvements in scores were not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: HHS, especially regarding support and distance walked, and VAS scores for LBP were poorer in patients with VCF preoperatively and 1-year postoperatively. Our findings suggest that hip surgeons should evaluate not only spinal alignment but also the presence of VCF before performing THA. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, Retrospective cohort study.