Acetabulum Fracture Fixation
Acetabulum Fracture Fixation
Dr P. Ashok Raju Gottemukkala is a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Sunshine Hospital in Hyderabad, with over 13 years of experience restoring joint congruence, repairing internal bone fragments, avoiding bone displacement, and facilitating rapid rehabilitation.
He did his MBBS in 2000 and his MS from Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai, 2007. He attained Fellowship in Joint Replacement in 2010 from Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Dr Ashok Raju is one of the top orthopaedic surgeons in Hyderabad, helping patients return to their pre-injury functional level. He has experience in emergency orthopaedic surgeries and provides comprehensive patient-centric care with knee replacement surgeries, hip replacements, revision hip replacements, pelvic fractures fixing and treatment, acetabular surgery, and polytrauma care Hyderabad.
Treatment and Management of Acetabular Fracture Fixation
What is an Acetabular Fracture, and how will it occur?
Whenever the socket portion of the “ball-and-socket” hip joint breaks, it is known as an acetabulum fracture. The acetabulum is a pelvic component that connects the pelvic bone, or the upper end of the thigh bone, to form the hip joint.
These are not frequent and usually occur because of high-energy events such as car accidents. It often occurs in low-energy events such as a fall from standing among older people. The treatment involves surgery to restore the normal functioning of the hip and stabilise the hip joint.
Acetabular Fracture Symptoms
The symptoms of acetabulum fractures include
- Pain
- Swelling in the hip area
- Inability to bear weight
- Bruising
- Lacerations
- Hematomas
Acetabular Fracture Diagnosis
Your healthcare provider will diagnose acetabular fracture, considering the above symptoms. The diagnosis of acetabular fracture includes:
- Blood tests
- An EKG, or electrocardiogram, is used to monitor the heart’s electrical activity.
- MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Conventional radiographs
- MRV (Magnetic Resonance Venogram) is a test that evaluates your veins.
- CT scans
- Chest X-ray to ensure that fractures do not have fluid in them or that there is no infection in the lungs.
Procedure for Acetabular Fracture
The treatment of acetabular fractures targets helping the patients return comfortably to their daily activities to the best extent possible. To achieve this, the doctors first prefer proper alignment of the bones, while healing is vital because most patients will have some displacement. As a result, doctors treat fractures while focusing on the alignment of these bones.
Treatment options for acetabular fractures include the following:
Acetabular Fracture Non-Surgical Treatments
Non-surgical treatments are suggested when there is no dislocation or displacement. In some instances, patients who cannot tolerate surgery are also likely to be treated with non-surgical treatments.
Surgical Treatments for Acetabular Fractures
The majority of surgeons advise surgery to treat acetabular fractures. Patients are given small preoperative doses of an anticoagulant or heparin to prevent blood clots before surgery.
A few surgical options for acetabular fractures are listed below.
External Fixation or Ex-Fix Technique
During this technique, your surgeon may perform open and closed reduction, and the bones are held in place using an external fixator or frame with threading pins connected to the rods outside the skin into the bone on either side of the fracture that forms a frame.
Open Reduction with Internal Fixation Technique or (ORIF)
It is recommended for patients who have dislocation of the joint. In this technique, your surgeon realigns or reduces the bones to prevent the development of post-injury related problems. These bones are fixed rigidly with plates and screws to prevent future displacement and quick rehabilitation.
Hip Replacement Surgery
Hip replacement is recommended when the acetabulum is so damaged that neither reconstruction nor repair would yield good long term results.
Post-Operative Care for Acetabular Fractures
Post-operative care is a must for any surgery. Similarly, there are certain things you must know about managing the pain or managing other complications that may arise as a part of the surgery. After the surgery for acetabular fractures, you need to check for the following things:
- You will be given pain medications via injections after the surgery.
- In some instances, you will be given a pump to control the amount of pain medication (PCA or patient-controlled analgesia).
- Medications will be instructed to avoid the formation of blood clots following the surgery.
- Get out of bed as fast as possible. It aids in the prevention of injury and healing complications.
- You’ll learn how to do physiotherapy exercises, which you should do regularly.
Surgery Complications for Acetabular Fracture
Some of the complications associated with acetabular fracture treatment are listed below.
- Pneumonia, or an infection of the lungs,
- Deep vein thrombosis is
- Pulmonary embolism
- Formation of blood clots
- Skin problems
- Muscle complications
- Infection at the injury site
- Constipation
Complications can sometimes interrupt blood flow to the head of the femur or the hip joint ball, resulting in death and hip joint arthritis.
Revision Hip Replacement Surgery in Hyderabad FAQs
Dr Ashok Raju has a team of physicians, neurologists, nurses, technicians, nutritionists, and therapists who provide the best quality emergency treatment for patients with major musculoskeletal injuries, fractures of the pelvis, and acetabulum, which result in life-threatening conditions.
As an experienced orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Ashok Raju will consider various treatment options for treating acetabular fractures, depending on the severity and type of the injury, to restore the normal anatomy of the hip and stabilise the hip joint.
Post-operative treatments are also provided to patients who have undergone surgery for acetabular fractures to help them recover faster, manage the discomfort and pain, and return the patient to their pre-injury functional level.
Acetabulum Fracture Fixation Treatment in Hyderabad FAQs
The typical acetabular fracture inpatient usually stays for 7–10 days.
No, you will not have braces or casts after the surgery because the fracture is reduced or stabilised internally using plates and screws.
Stop smoking before the surgery itself, as it impedes bone and wound healing. It increases the risk of infection and causes your fracture not to heal.
A high-protein diet that is high in calcium is recommended for fracture healing.
To prevent constipation
- Take an over-the-counter stool softener.
- Eat a diet high in fibre.
- Drink more water
Dr Ashok Raju’s qualifications include,
- MBBS, MS (Ortho), Fellow in Joints
- Consultant Joint Replacement Surgeon (Primary & Revision Hips)
- Pelvic Acetabular Surgeon
- Expertise in Joint Replacement, Pelvic Acetabular Surgery