Surgical Treatment of Acetabular Posterior Wall Fracture with Hip Arthroscopy: A Case Report

Posterior wall fractures are the most common type of acetabular fractures. Treatment can be conservative or surgical. Operative treatment is indicated for acetabular fractures that result in hip joint instability and/or incongruity, as well injuries with incarceration of fragments of bone or soft tissue within the hip joint. Surgical treatment can range from open reduction and osteosynthesis to hip arthroplasty. Arthroscopy has recently been used as the main surgical technique or as a reduction aid. In this case a 26-year-old male with a fracture of the posterior wall who underwent a posterior miniinvasive approach, followed by hip arthroscopy. This allowed joint wash, removal of the loose body, confirmation of reduction and absence of intra-articular hardware. Excellent clinical and radiological results were obtained. This case demonstrates the advantage of using hip arthroscopy in assessment of fracture reduction, the absence of intra-articular hardware or fragments, as well as a less invasive approach.