Evaluation of Postoperative Outcome of Posterior Wall Acetabular Fracture in a Tertiary Level Hospital

Background: Acetabular fractures are one of the most serious injuries treated by orthopedic surgeons. Among various types, posterior wall fracture is the most common. Open reduction and internal fixation is considered the best surgical treatment method for acetabular fractures and several studies shows satisfactory outcome following surgery. Objectives: The objective of the study was to evaluate the functional and radiological outcome of surgically treated acetabular fractures. Methods: 32 patients of posterior wall acetabular fracture were enrolled in this study, from January 2016 to September 2017 through non randomized purposive sampling. All the patients were between 18 to 60 years of age and operated within 21days of fracture. Postoperative functional outcome was assessed both clinically by modified Merle D’ Aubigne and Postel criteria and radiologically by Matta criteria. Postoperative follow up was conducted at 2nd, 6th, 12th and 24th weeks. Results: Excellent results were obtained in 19(59.4%) patients, good in 8 (25%), fair in 2 (6.3%) and poor results in 3 (9.3%) patients after functional evaluation. Radiological assessment revealed 26 (81.3%) hips had excellent radiographic view, 2 (6.3%) hips with good, 1 (3.1%) had fair and 3 (9.3%) had poor hip condition. Postoperative complications included avascular necrosis of femoral head in 3 (9.3%), iatrogenic sciatic nerve injury in 3 (9.3%) and wound infection in 2 (6.3%) patients. Conclusion: The study showed surgery in posterior wall acetabular fractures leads good to excellent outcome in majority of the patients.