Long-term outcomes of surgical treatment of patients with acetabular fractures

Objective To review long-term outcomes of surgical treatment of patients with acetabular fractures using an original outcome assessment questionnaire. Material and methods The study included 79 patients with acetabular fractures. The patients' age ranged from 16 to 67 years. Long-term follow-ups were evaluated with an original questionnaire measuring pain intensity, timings of primary surgery, reoperations including total hip replacement, technical details, accuracy of bone reduction/residual displacement and extent of restricted working capacity. Results Good and satisfactory long-term outcomes of acetabular fractures repaired with a primary surgery performed 22.7 ± 5.7 days of injury were observed in 43 (54.4 %) patients with complete bone reduction or 1-2 mm of residual displacement. Severe posttraumatic coxarthrosis, complications (avascular necrosis of the femoral head) or incomplete bone reduction with residual displacement of 2 mm to 2 cm detected in 36 (45.6 %) patients were rated as a poor outcome and required total hip replacement. Conclusion An active surgical approach to acetabular fractures employing open reduction and arthroplasties has shown to provide a good rehabilitation effect even for neglected cases with adequate restitution of the hip joint congruence ensured.