Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a challenging option for the treatment of posttraumatic arthritis due to acetabular fractures.
The study aimed to determine the short- and mid-term clinical and radiographic results of THA following acetabular fracture. The fracture pattern, the extent of injury and the initial fracture treatment were considered to evaluate the influence of these factors on the clinical-radiographic outcome.
67 patients who received THA for the treatment of posttraumatic osteoarthritis after acetabular fracture between January 2007 and December 2012 were analyzed consecutively. The group consisted of 13 female (19%) and 54 male (81%) patients with a mean age of 59 (25-87) years at the time of THA. The time between acetabular injury and arthroplasty was 107 (1-504) months on average. The all-cause 8-year survival rate was 0.87% (0.76-0.93) and there were 8 revisions, half of them were due to aseptic loosening of the cup. The Harris Hip Score achieved was 75.7 ± 21.3 (26.9-100) points. Prior to THA, heterotopic ossifications were detected in 28% and after THA implantation in 42%.
The decrease of the interval between injury and arthroplasty was associated with increasing patient age (p = 0.001) and surgical treatment of the acetabular fracture (p = 0.04). Complex fracture patterns were accompanied by acetabular bone defects more often than simple patterns (p = 0.03). Overall, arthroplasty due to posttraumatic osteoarthritis after acetabular fracture resulted in decreased overall survival rates and poorer clinical outcome as compared to primary arthroplasty.