Abstract
Introduction
Acetabular fractures are uncommon and their management is often reserved for specialist pelvic and acetabular surgeons. Bilateral acetabular fractures are a particularly rare subgroup. We report the incidence, fracture pattern, mechanism of injury and outcome of patients presenting to a tertiary trauma centre with traumatic bilateral acetabular fractures.
Results
Eight patients with bilateral acetabular fracture were identified from a database which contained records of 519 patients with acetabular fractures (incidence of 1.5% amongst patients with acetabular fractures). Motor vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism. Four acetabular fracture patterns were observed within the cohort. Radiographic union occurred in all cases and Oxford Hip Scores are suggestive of moderate to well functioning hip joints. Fractures were treated as single or staged procedures.
Conclusion
Bilateral acetabular fractures are very rare due to the unique degree and pattern of force required to fracture both acetabula. They are associated with 4 main fracture patterns and present with Injury Severity Scores that averaged 25 (severe). They are typically observed in young males with road traffic collision being the most common mechanism of injury.
Acetabular fractures are uncommon and their management is often reserved for specialist pelvic and acetabular surgeons. Bilateral acetabular fractures are a particularly rare subgroup. We report the incidence, fracture pattern, mechanism of injury and outcome of patients presenting to a tertiary trauma centre with traumatic bilateral acetabular fractures.
Results
Eight patients with bilateral acetabular fracture were identified from a database which contained records of 519 patients with acetabular fractures (incidence of 1.5% amongst patients with acetabular fractures). Motor vehicle accidents were the most common mechanism. Four acetabular fracture patterns were observed within the cohort. Radiographic union occurred in all cases and Oxford Hip Scores are suggestive of moderate to well functioning hip joints. Fractures were treated as single or staged procedures.
Conclusion
Bilateral acetabular fractures are very rare due to the unique degree and pattern of force required to fracture both acetabula. They are associated with 4 main fracture patterns and present with Injury Severity Scores that averaged 25 (severe). They are typically observed in young males with road traffic collision being the most common mechanism of injury.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 28-31 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Orthopaedics |
| Volume | 18 |
| Early online date | 6 Nov 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2020 |
Keywords
- acetabular
- fracture
- bilateral
- trauma