Prospective database study of 109 operatively treated patients with acetabular fractures and concomitant posterior hip dislocation, asking which preoperative and intraoperative variables independently predict radiological grade, clinical function, and post-traumatic arthritis at minimum 2-year follow-up.
When operating on an acetabular fracture with posterior hip dislocation, your single highest-leverage decision is achieving anatomical reduction (≤1 mm): it separates a 75% chance of staying arthritis-free at 12 years from near-certain arthritis.
Don't let urgency around dislocation timing distract from meticulous fracture reduction — the data suggest timing of closed reduction, while important to attempt promptly, is not the independent driver of long-term joint survival that fracture reduction quality is.
Prospective database study of 109 operatively treated patients with acetabular fractures and concomitant posterior hip dislocation, asking which preoperative and intraoperative variables independently predict radiological grade, clinical function, and post-traumatic arthritis at minimum 2-year follow-up.
When operating on an acetabular fracture with posterior hip dislocation, your single highest-leverage decision is achieving anatomical reduction (≤1 mm): it separates a 75% chance of staying arthritis-free at 12 years from near-certain arthritis.
Don't let urgency around dislocation timing distract from meticulous fracture reduction — the data suggest timing of closed reduction, while important to attempt promptly, is not the independent driver of long-term joint survival that fracture reduction quality is.