COMPARISON BETWEEN THE RESULTS OF FIXATION OF JUXTATECTAL AND TRANSTECTAL ACETABULAR FRACTURES

Background Juxtatectal and transtectal acetabular fractures are among the most challenging orthopedic injuries, requiring meticulous surgical management to optimize the outcomes. Our study aimed to detect the total incidence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) (isolated and secondary) that occured following fixation of both juxtatectal and transtectal acetabular fractures as a primary outcome, and to detect the other complications which also can lead to PTOA or not, that could affect the quality of life of the patients as a secondary outcome. Patients and Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 68 patients treated surgically for juxtatectal and transtectal acetabular fractures with a minimum of 3 years follow-up. 16 patients were excluded from the study. The other 52 patients were included. Patients were divided into two groups based on the fracture type. Data collected include radiographic outcomes, functional scores. Statistical analyses were performed to identify differences between the two groups Results The mean OHS was 38.85 for transtectal fractures and 41.08 for juxtatectal fractures, indicating a satisfactory joint function in both groups. The PTOA rate was 17.3%. The incidence of sciatic nerve injury was higher in the juxtatectal group (24%). Conclusions Both juxtatectal and transtectal acetabular fractures had nearly similar functional outcomes and similar incidence of PTOA after an average postoperative follow-up of 7.6 years. Postoperative complications (such as AVN, hardware failure and heterotropic ossification) were similar in both groups. Juxtatectal fractures were associated with more sciatic nerve injuries and complex fracture patterns. Key words Acetabular fractures, Juxtatectal, transtectal, post-traumatic osteoarthritis.