thirty year perspective on posterior wall fractures of the acetabulum: Enigma or just another intra-articular injury

ABSTRACT

Investigators dealing with a relatively small number of patients with posterior wall fractures have found unsatisfactory clinical outcomes, estimated to be approximately 30%. Consequently, conventional wisdom has professed that these fractures do poorly relative to other acetabular fracture types and are somehow different. The main questions to be answered in the treatment of these injuries include [1] how can the need for operative versus non-operative treatment best be determined, [2] can the fixation of comminuted and marginally impacted fracture fragments be improved, [3] what are the risk factors for an adverse outcome after operative fracture fixation, and [4] what are the expected clinical and functional outcomes after operative treatment?