Radiological and Functional Assessment of Treatment Outcomes in Patients after Open Reduction with Internal Fixation (ORIF) of Acetabular Fractures

Abstract

(1) Fracture of the pelvis usually happens in young men and results from high-energy trauma. It generates high social and economic costs and results in further health problems. It is therefore important to assess long-term treatment results. (2) The study (NCT04902209) involved 31 patients (mean age 43.6 ± 14.8 years). We conducted fixation assessment on the basis of radiographs and CT scans and functional assessment based on functional scales. (3) We observed more degenerative changes in the less precise reconstruction of the acetabulum (p = 0.075). We did not find statistically significant relationships between the area of surgical approach, the gravity of fracture, and the development of degenerative changes. We did not find statistically significant relationships between patients’ functional states and the type of surgical approach or the complexity of the fracture. We found a positive correlation between the time of surgical treatment and patients’ functional state (p = 0.04). Patients whose joint surfaces were reconstructed anatomically had significantly higher scores in functional scales (HHS p = 0.05, Merle p = 0.03). (4) Patients after surgical fixation of the acetabulum have low functional abilities. The quality of reconstruction of the loaded surface as well as the length of time post-surgery seems to be essential for the patients’ functional state.

Acetabular Fracture; its Management and Early Functional Outcome

“…One of the biggest challenges for a trauma surgeon is the acetabulum surgical surgery 5 . There are several complications, with 20-25% leading to unsatisfactory results 6,7 . Factors that impact the final functional outcome include the surgeon's experience, the fracture pattern, the age of the patient, dislocation at the time of injury, age related to osteochondral damage to the femur head and acetabulum, and delays in operative treatment [8][9][10][11] .…”