The posterolateral approach reported the lowest value for the surgical duration .
The posterolateral approach reported the shortest hospitalization length .
The posterolateral approach reported shorter surgical duration and hospitalization length .
Concerning the analysis of total estimated blood loss , no significant result was obtained .
Despite the numerous studies , there is no consensus concerning the best approach for  total hip arthroplasty ( THA )  , and debates are ongoing .
The purpose of this study was to perform a Bayesian network meta- analysis ( NMA ) comparing several approaches for primary THA .
The focus was on peri-operative outcomes : surgical duration , total estimated blood loss , and length of the hospitalization .
A minimal-incision technique in total hip arthroplasty does not improve early postoperative outcomes. A prospective, randomized, controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty has stirred substantial controversy with regard to whether it provides superior outcomes compared with total hip arthroplasty performed through longer incisions . The orthopaedic literature is deficient in well- design ed scientific studies to support the clinical superiority of this approach . The objective of this study was to compare the results of a single mini-incision approach with those of a st and ard-incision total hip arthroplasty in the early postoperative period . METHODS Two hundred and nineteen patients ( 219 hips ) admitted for unilateral total hip arthroplasty between December 2003 and June 2004 were r and omized to undergo surgery through a short incision of < or=10 cm or a st and ard incision of 16 cm .  All patients were blinded to the size of the incision for the duration of the hospital stay . The anesthetic , analgesic , and postoperative physiotherapy protocol s were st and ardized , with the staff also blinded to the technique used . A single surgeon , who had performed more than 300 short-incision hip replacements prior to the start of this study and who performs an average of 415 primary total hip replacements a year , performed all procedures through a single-incision posterior approach using a cementless cup and cemented stem . RESULTS The two groups were matched for age , grade according to the system of the American Society of Anesthesiologists , and body mass index . No significant difference was detected with respect to postoperative hematocrit , blood transfusion requirements , pain scores , or analgesic use . We found no difference in early walking ability or length of hospital stay and no difference in component placement , cement-mantle quality , or functional outcome scores at six weeks . The patient variables significantly associated with a probability of early discharge independent of incision length were patient age and preoperative hemoglobin levels ( p < 0.05 ) . The surgical scars contracted significantly over six weeks ( p < 0.05 ) but by a similar proportion of 11 % to 12 % in both groups . CONCLUSIONS Minimally invasive total hip arthroplasty performed through a single-incision posterior approach by a high-volume hip surgeon with extensive experience in less invasive approaches to the hip is safe and reproducible . However , it offers no significant benefit in the early postoperative period compared with a st and ard incision of 16 cm . As it is not known whether lower-volume and less-experienced surgeons can achieve similar results , the mini-incision technique merits further study before wide dissemination and implementation of this family of surgical approaches can be recommended
The posterolateral approach reported the lowest value for the surgical duration .
The posterolateral approach reported the shortest hospitalization length .
The posterolateral approach reported shorter surgical duration and hospitalization length .
Concerning the analysis of total estimated blood loss , no significant result was obtained .
Despite the numerous studies , there is no consensus concerning the best approach for  total hip arthroplasty ( THA )  , and debates are ongoing .
The purpose of this study was to perform a Bayesian network meta- analysis ( NMA ) comparing several approaches for primary THA .
The focus was on peri-operative outcomes : surgical duration , total estimated blood loss , and length of the hospitalization .