The Study of Acetabular Fracture

Acetabulum is very important in weight bearing and maintaining the normal contour for the function of hip joint. Acetabular fractures are uncommon, because of incongruity, displaced acetabular fractures result in early post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Anatomical reduction and stable internal fixation of acetabular fracture improves the prognosis of the displaced fracture, but the internal fixation of acetabular fracture still represents one of the most difficult tasts in hip surgery. During the period of June 1975 to June 1984, 52 cases were treated in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Ewha University College of Medicine, and results were summarized as follows,1) In the treatment methods of the acetabular fracture, I couldn't assert firmly that a surgical treatment was more desirable than a conservative one when I valued their results. And so, I have chosen the formation for a severe degree of fractures or in accordance with fracture-sites, and adapted the latter for a severe comminuted or non-displaced fracture. 2) The posterior wall acetabulum or the displaced fracture of a dome could be accurately reduced by a possible operation which was considered as a helpful treatment method in preventing the traumatic arthritis for the prognosis. 3) There was no avascular necrosis of femoral head among 52 cases. 4) In case which was difficult to be reduced on author's operation procedure, the fracture could be easily reduced with a born-hook in drill hole, and also the new fixation was effective by inserting screws into the main fragment and wiring them together not to move in case difficult to be fixed. 5) The Marvin Tilie's classification was of use in selecting the conservative treatment or the surgical one.