Abstract Background The coexistence of spinal degenerative diseases and hip joint degeneration is common among middle-aged and elderly indiv
Abstract Background The coexistence of spinal degenerative diseases and hip joint degeneration is common among middle-aged and elderly individuals, causing significant suffering and economic burden for patients. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and lumbar fusion (LF) are primary treatment options for this combined condition, but the impact of the surgical sequence on patient outcomes remains unclear. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the effects of the surgical sequence of THA and LF on symptom recovery, changes in sagittal spine-pelvis parameters, and the incidence of long-term complications in patients. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 104 patients diagnosed with hip-spine syndrome (HSS) who underwent THA and LF at the Chinese PLA General Hospital. IPTW was implemented to control potential confounding factors. The impact of surgical sequence on clinical function scores, radiological parameters, and long-term complications was evaluated before and after conducting IPTW. Patients who underwent THA surgery first, followed by LF surgery, were categorized as the THA→LF group; conversely, those who underwent LF surgery first, followed by THA surgery, were categorized as the LF→THA group. Clinical function scores included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, and Harris Hip Score for both groups. Long-term complications assessed in this study included instances of Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK), internal fixation loosening or failure, as well as hip prosthesis dislocation. Radiological parameters included Pelvic Tilt (PT), Pelvic Incidence (PI), Pelvic Incidence minus Lumbar Lordosis (PI-LL), Sacral Slope (SS), and Lumbar Lordosis (LL). Results Before conducting IPTW, there were significant differences between the two groups across multiple variables, including age (P = 0.035), fixation stage (P = 0.042), preoperative PT (P = 0.005), preoperative PI-LL (P = 0.004), and preoperative LL (P = 0.040). After conducting IPTW, all baseline data variables had P-values greater than 0.50, indicating that the baseline characteristics between the two groups were comparable. Following IPTW, the study found significant improvements in postoperative ODI, JOA score, and Harris Hip Score for both groups (P