2008 Acetabulum Fractures eMedicine Orthopedics

Description: Thacker, Tejwani & Thakkar 2008 Updated 2009
Fractures of the acetabulum occur primarily in young adults as a result of high-velocity trauma. These fractures are often associated with other life-threatening injuries. Displacement of the fracture fragments leads to articular incongruity of the hip joint that results in abnormal pressure distribution on the articular cartilage surface. This can lead to rapid breakdown of the cartilage surface, resulting in disabling arthritis of the hip joint. Anatomic reduction and stable fixation of the fracture, such that the femoral head is concentrically reduced under an adequate portion of the weight-bearing dome of the acetabulum, is the treatment goal in these difficult fractures.