Survivorship of the native hip joint after percutaneous repair of acetabular fractures in the elderly

Our purpose was to examine survivorship of the native hip joint in patients ages 60 and over who underwent percutaneous reduction and fixation of acetabular fractures. A retrospective review at a University Level I Trauma Center was performed. Our institutional trauma database was reviewed. Patients aged 60 or older treated with percutaneous reduction and fixation of acetabular fractures between 1994 and 2007 were selected. 79 consecutive patients with 80 fractures were identified. Rate of conversion to total hip arthroplasty were used to construct a Kaplan-Meier curve showing survivorship of the native hip joint after treatment. 75 fractures had adequate clinical follow-up with a mean of 3.9 years (range 0.5-11.9 years). Average blood loss was 69 cc and there were no postoperative infections. 19/75 (25%) were converted to total hip arthroplasty at a mean time of 1.4 years after the index procedure. Survivorship analysis demonstrated a cumulative survival of 65% at 11.9 years of follow-up. There were no conversions to arthroplasty beyond 4.7 years postoperatively. There were no statistically significant associations between conversion to arthroplasty and age, sex, closed vs. limited open reduction, and simple vs. complex fracture pattern. Percutaneous fixation is a viable treatment option for patients age 60 or greater with acetabular fractures. Rates of conversion to total hip arthroplasty are comparable to open treatment methods and if conversion is required, soft tissues are preserved for future surgery.