Treatment of delayed acetabular fractures / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To discuss the surgical treatment of delayed acetabular fractures and factors that affect the clinical outcomes. Methods From February 2001 to July 2005, 37 cases of delayed acetabular fractures were surgically treated. There were 22 males and 15 females, with an average age of 36.8 years (17 to 58). 10 cases were simple fractures and 27 complicated ones. The interval between injury and surgery averaged 44.8 days (21 to 399 days). 6 cases were treated through Kocher- Langenbeck approach, 1 ilio- inguinal approach, 2 extended ilio- inguinal approach, and 28 combined approaches. The mean operation time was 226 min (120 to 490 min). The average blood loss was 1 798 mL. Results The mean follow- up period was 18.9 months (6 to 56 months). Evaluation was conducted with Matta' s reduction criteria and modified D’ Aubigne and Postel clinical scoring. Reduction was anatomical in 31 cases, unsatisfactory in 4 and poor in 2. Clinical outcomes were rated as excellent in 21, good in 9, fair in 5 and poor in 2. There was 1 case of femoral head necrosis. Heterotopic ossification developed in 11 cases. In addition, transient paralysis of the sciatic nerve happened in 4 patients. Conclusions In principle, combined or extended ilio- inguinal approach should be reserved for the delayed acetabular fractures with the exception of simple fractures of posterior wall or/and posterior column, anterior wall and anterior column which can be managed by a single approach. The occurrence of arthritis correlates with the severity of the fracture. No direct relation has been found in this series between femoral head necrosis and femoral head dislocation before operation. Severity of fracture, interval between injury and surgery, and skills of orthopedists determine the clinical outcome, operation duration, and perioperative blood loss.