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Assessment of Acetabular Fracture Fixation with the Modified Harris Hip Score Regarding Clinical and Functional
Syed Akmal Sultan1, Rufina Ali1, Rahila Kanwal1
1Department of Orthopaedics, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma, Karachi, Pakistan.
Objective:
To assess the clinical and functional outcomes of acetabular fracture fixation at 2-year follow-up using the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) as the evaluation tool.
Study Design:
A descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Orthopaedics, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2019 to December 2022.
Methodology:
Seventy-two patients, aged ≥18 years, who underwent acetabular fracture fixation. After excluding unresponsive patients, those who died, or those who were lost to follow-up, the final sample included 52 patients. Data included patient demographics, injury mechanisms, treatment details, and complications. Fracture patterns were classified according to the Letournel and Judet criteria. A specialised pelvic/acetabular surgeon performed acetabular open reduction and internal fixation. Postoperative rehabilitation and thromboprophylaxis protocols were followed. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed using the MHHS at the 2-year follow-up. Data were entered and analysed using SPSS Statistics 16.
Results:
The mean age was 41.8 ± 13.5 years, with 73.6% males and 24.5% females. The most common fracture type was the posterior wall (41.5%). At the 2-year follow-up, MHHS scores showed 40.4% of patients had excellent outcomes, 36.5% good, 15.4% fair, and 7.7% poor. The chi-square tests showed no statistically significant associations between gender, limb involvement, or infection status with clinical outcomes.
Conclusion:
This study highlights the complex nature of acetabular fractures and emphasises positive outcomes of surgical intervention, as assessed by MHHS. Continuous follow-up and management are essential to address complications such as hip osteoarthritis and nerve injuries. Despite limitations, the retrospective design and sample size demonstrated overall excellent clinical and functional outcomes.
Key Words:
Acetabulum, Fracture fixation, Orthopaedic procedures, Treatment outcome.
