Traumatic hip dislocation at a regional trauma centre in Nigeria

Traumatic dislocation or fracture-dislocation of the hip is an orthopaedic emergency that is steadily increasing in incidence due to high-speed motor vehicular accidents. These injuries need to be recognized early and promptly treated to prevent morbidity and long-term complications. Some of the fundamental issues in the management of traumatic dislocations of the hip are the critical interval between injury and reduction, the type of reduction most suitable for various types of injury and the duration of immobilization that give the best results. This study was carried out at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu, a regional trauma and orthopaedic centre in South-East Nigeria. The purpose of the study is to describe the pattern of presentation and to identify the factors that determine the long-term outcome in the treatment of traumatic dislocations and fracture-dislocations of the hip at Enugu, Nigeria.

The case notes of all the patients that presented with traumatic dislocations and fracture-dislocations of the hip between January 2003 and December 2007 were reviewed. The information extracted and analyzed included the patients' demographics, etiology of injury, time interval before reduction, associated injuries, treatment offered, complications and follow-up. Thompson-Epstein classification was used to grade the posterior hip dislocations. The outcome of treatment was evaluated using the clinical and radiological criteria proposed by Epstein (1974). Three patients with incomplete data and two patients with central fracture dislocation were excluded from this study.

Forty-eight patients with 50 hip dislocations were analyzed. The age range was 12 years to 67 years with a mean age of 34.8 years. Thirty-nine patients (81.3%) were males and 9 (18.7%) were females. Road-traffic accident was the leading cause of traumatic hip dislocation in this series, 44 cases (91.6%). Posterior dislocation occurred in 48 hips (96%) while anterior dislocation occurred in 2 hips (4%). Forty-seven hips (94%) were treated by primary closed reduction, two hips (4%) were treated with open reduction and one patient (2%) had Girdlestone excision arthroplasty. Thirty-six hips (73.5%) were reduced with 12 hours of the injury. Concomitant injuries were found in 37 patients (77%). The follow up period ranged from 10 months to 36 months with a mean follow up period of 15 months. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis occurred in 2 hips (4%) avascular necrosis of the femoral head was seen in 2 hips (4%). Five patients had sciatic nerve paresis while there was recurrence in one hip. No mortality was recorded.

Traumatic dislocations and fracture-dislocations of the hip are severe injuries caused mostly by high-speed motor-vehicular accidents. Young adult males are most commonly affected, and there is a high rate of concomitant injuries. Excellent results can be achieved by early and stable closed reduction of these injuries with immobilization of the affected hips.