Objective To investigate the cl inical effect of the acetabular tridimensional memoryalloy-fixation system (ATMFS) in treatment of posterior wall acetabular fractures with posterior dislocation of hip. Methods From January 2004 to February 2006, 15 cases of posterior wall acetabular fracture with posterior dislocation of hip were treated. There were 11males and 4 females, aged 21-68 years old with an average of 43.5 years old. Injury was caused by traffic accident in 8 cases, by fall ing from height in 5 cases and others in 2 cases. The locations were the left hip in 9 cases and the right hip in 6 cases. According to Thompson-Epstein’ fracture classification, there were 6 cases of type II, 5 cases of type III, 2 cases of type IV and 2 cases of type V. Imaging showed the acetabular articular surface displacement of 2-5 mm(mean 3 mm). The time from injury to hospital ization was 6 hours to 2 weeks(mean 1.5 days). Skeletal traction on femoral condyle was given, manual reduction was performed in 12 patients and intra-operative reduction in 3 cases. ATMFS was used after 2-7 days of hospital ization, and 4 cases received autologous free il ium because of bone defect. Results The operative time was 90-390 minutes with an average of 210 minutes. Intraoperative blood loss was 350-2 500 mL with an average of 360 mL. The hospital ization days of the patients ranged from 7 to 21 days(mean 10 days). Epidermal infection occurred and was cured after symptomatic management in 1 case. Other incisions healed by first intention. No deep infections, pulmonary embol ism, deep venous thrombosis and other compl ications occurred. The patients were followed up 1 to 3 years with an average of 1.6 years. Ischemic necrosis of femoral head occurred in 1 case. Heterotopic ossification in grade II occurred in 1 case. The hip function was still good without special treatment. According to Matta’s X-ray fracture reduction assessment, the results were excellent in 7 cases, good in 5 cases, fair in 2 cases, and poor in 1 case, the excellent and good rate was 80%. According to d’Aubigné cl inical efficacy evaluation, the results were excellent in 8 cases, good in 5 cases, fair in 1 case, and poor in 1 case, the excellent and good rate was 86.7% at last followup. Conclusion ATMFS can be used for the treatment of posterior wall acetabular fracture with posterior dislocation of hip, which can improve the anatomy corresponding rate of the femoral head and reduce the incidence of compl ications and restore the function of the hip.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of posterior minimally invasive approach in the treatment of posterior wall acetabular fractures. Methods The clinical data of 17 patients with posterior wall acetabular fractures treated with posterior minimally invasive approach between March 2019 and June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 14 males and 3 females with an average age of 41 years ranging from 28 to 57 years. The causes of injury were traffic accident in 12 cases and falling from height in 5 cases. There were 3 cases complicated with posterior hip dislocation and 2 cases complicated with sciatic nerve injury. According to AO/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification, there were 11 cases of type A1.1 and 6 cases of type A1.2. The time from injury to operation was 5-8 days, with an average of 6.2 days. The incision length, intraoperative blood loss, and operation time were recorded. The quality of posterior wall fracture reduction were evaluated by Matta criteria, and hip function were evaluated by modified Merle d’Aubign-Postel score criteria at 6 months after operation and last follow-up. Results The operation was successfully completed in 17 cases. The length of incision ranged from 7 to 9 cm, with an average of 8.3 cm, and all incisions healed by first intention. The intraoperative blood loss ranged from 200 to 350 mL, with an average of 281 mL. The operation time ranged from 45 to 70 minutes, with an average of 57 minutes. Two patients had sciatic nerve injury before operation, and the sciatic nerve function recovered completely at 3 months after operation; the other 15 patients had no symptoms of sciatic nerve injury after operation. All the 17 patients were followed up 14-27 months, with an average of 19.5 months. At 1 week after operation, according to the Matta criteria, anatomical reduction was achieved in 12 cases and satisfactory reduction in 5 cases, with a satisfaction rate of 100%. According to the modified Merle d’Aubign-Postel scoring system, the hip function score was 13-18 (mean, 16.1) at 6 months after operation. Among them, 5 cases were excellent, 9 were good, and 3 were fair, with an excellent and good rate of 82.4%. At last follow-up, the hip function score was 7-18 (mean, 13.7), of which 3 cases were excellent, 9 were good, 3 were fair, and 2 were poor, with an excellent and good rate of 70.6%. During the follow-up, there was no infection, failure of internal fixation, and femoral head necrosis, and heterotopic ossification occurred in 2 cases. ConclusionThe posterior minimally invasive approach has the advantages of less trauma, shorter operation time, less blood loss, without cutting off the external rotator muscle. Exposure through the gluteus medius-piriformis space and piriformis-supercilium space can provide sufficient safe exposure for the posterior wall acetabulum fracture, which is a reliable alternative approach for the posterior acetabular fracture.