This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Leg-length discrepancy resolves in most patients within 6 weeks post-THA

However, perception of a discrepancy remains a common problem for some patients during this timeframe.

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

SAN DIEGO — Although leg-length discrepancy is common before and after total hip arthroplasty, most perceived and clinical leg-length discrepancies resolve by 6 weeks' follow-up, according to a study presented here.

Camilo Restrepo, MD, and colleagues at the Rothman Institute conducted the prospective study to compare discrepancies in leg length pre- and postop among 240 consecutive total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients recruited from their institution.

Before surgery, radiological and clinical measurements demonstrated that 96.4% of patients had leg-length discrepancies, which averaged 2.5 mm and ranged from 0 mm to 70 mm.

"Although it was 96%, only 12% of patients perceived a leg-length discrepancy," said Restrepo, who presented the results at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting.

Surgeons achieved leg-length equality intraoperatively in 58.2% of patients, Restrepo noted.

At 6 weeks' follow-up, about 95% of patients felt that their leg lengths were equal, while the remaining 5% reported that they felt a discrepancy.

Of those patients who achieved equal anatomical leg length, 7.9% felt that THA created leg-length discrepancy, according to the study.

By the 6-month follow-up, only 4.4% of the entire patient group perceived a leg-length discrepancy, Restrepo said. Of those with equal anatomical length, however, only 1.2% perceived a discrepancy.

"Because of these perceptions ... we need to inform the patients about the possibility of leg-length discrepancy ... clinically and radiological, but also the perception that they may have one," Restrepo said.

For more information:

• Sharkey PF, Byhoff E, Purtill JJ, et al. Leg-length discrepancy and total hip arthroplasty. #23. Presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 74th Annual Meeting. Feb. 14-18, 2007. San Diego.