Comparison of the incisions for the open surgical treatment of gluteal muscle contracture.

Gluteal muscle contracture is not very common, but cases are still seen in China. Open surgical treatment is considered as an efficient method to treat this disease. However, the type of incision that can provide best results is yet to be determined. The authors therefore compared various incisions to determine the better one. In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgery with a traverse straight incision, a curved incision, a longitudinal straight incision, or an 'S'-shaped incision above the greater trochanter were enrolled and divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. In each group, the patients were divided into different levels according to a specific standard. The four groups were compared in terms of incision length, postoperative drainage amounts, wound healing rates, visual analog scale scores, and improvement in the degree of range of motion (ROM). During the follow-up period, the validity of the results, complications, and recurrent cases were evaluated. In our study, incision length and visual analog scale score of the four groups showed no significant differences (P>0.05). Wound healing rates, drainage amount, improvement in ROM, validity of the results, and recurrences in group D were significantly the best (P<0.05). No significant differences in wound healing rates, drainage amount, and improvement in ROM were found in groups A, B, and C. In terms of validity of the results and 1-year recurrence, no significant difference was observed between groups A and B; however, these factors were better than those in group C. We concluded that the 'S'-shaped incision above the greater trochanter is the most efficient among the incisions described in this study. This incision has the following advantages: clear exposure, less damage, high safety rate, excellent results, and low recurrence rate.