[A new device for positioning cerclage of the acetabulum]

Open reduction with internal stabilization is considered to be the standard therapy for the treatment of displaced acetabular fractures. The internal fixation is routinely achieved by the use of plates and screws. The use of cerclage wires and cables as a reduction aid and definitive implant for stabilization has only occasionally been reported in the literature. The indication was mostly limited to use in elderly patients with insufficient bone stock. A newly instrument developed on the basis of a standard bone elevator is presented. It allows a safe, semiclosed application of a cerclage wire around the greater ischiatic notch through use of the second window of the ilioinguinal approach. A wide dissection at the "outside" of the pelvis is not necessary.