Large variation in timing of follow-up visits after hip replacement: a review of the literature

Abstract

The study investigated the existing guidelines on the quality and frequency of the follow-up visits after total hip replacement surgery and assessed the level of evidence of these recommendations. • The review process was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Additional works were retrieved by direct investigation of the available guidelines of the most important orthopedic societies and regulatory agencies. • The current systematic review of the literature resulted in zero original papers, four guidelines for routine follow-up and three guidelines for special cases. Concerning the quality of evidence behind them, these guidelines were not evidence based but drafted from expert consensus. • The most important finding of this review is the large variation of recommendations in the follow-up schedule after total hip arthroplasty and the lack of evidence-based indications. Indeed, all the above-reported guidelines are the result of a consensus among experts in the field (level of recommendation class D ‘very low') and not based on clinical studies.