The Journal of Hip Surgery 2022; 06(04): 149-153
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1757326
Invited Review

Nerve Palsy following Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Review of the Current Literature

Jonathan Salandra
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jersey City Medical Center—RWJ Barnabas Health, Jersey City, New Jersey
,
Marisa Deliso
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jersey City Medical Center—RWJ Barnabas Health, Jersey City, New Jersey
,
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jersey City Medical Center—RWJ Barnabas Health, Jersey City, New Jersey
,
Conner J. Robbins
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jersey City Medical Center—RWJ Barnabas Health, Jersey City, New Jersey
,
Juluru P. Rao
1   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Jersey City Medical Center—RWJ Barnabas Health, Jersey City, New Jersey
› Author Affiliations
Funding None.

Abstract

The incidence of postoperative nerve palsy following total hip arthroplasty (THA) is reported to be 1 to 2%. The most common injury is to the sciatic nerve, but other nerve palsies including the femoral, obturator, and pudendal nerves, have been implicated. There is also an increased risk of nerve palsy following THA in female patients, those who undergo revision procedures, and those with a previous history of developmental hip dysplasia. The prognosis for recovery for each nerve palsy is directly correlated to the extent of nerve damage. Prevention is always the best form of treatment for these conditions, and one method by which this may be accomplished is through electromyography and other variations of intraoperative observation.



Publication History

Received: 31 January 2022

Accepted: 08 August 2022

Article published online:
14 October 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

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