A review of acetabular fracture patterns, etiologies, and management in Jordan

OBJECTIVES: To review the epidemiology of acetabular fractures in Jordan and to provide a base to advance high-level clinical research in the future. METHODS: A total of 141 acetabular fractures admitted to King Hussein Medical City, Amman, Jordan, from July 2018 to December 2022 were reviewed retrospectively. Fractures were classified according to Judet and Letournel and were analyzed regarding age, gender, the cause of injury, fracture classification, mode of treatment, and associated nerve and other body part injuries. RESULTS: Males represented 84.4% of patients. The mean age was 42.52 (±17.655) years, and the age group from 20 to 39 represented 54.6% of patients. Road traffic accidents caused 56.7% of injuries, and 53.9% had other accompanying injuries. Posterior wall fractures were the most common (37.6%) patterns, and femoral head dislocation was reported in 28.4%. Posttraumatic and iatrogenic sciatic nerve injuries were reported in 7% of patients. The mean time from admission to surgery was 7.62 (±7.915) days; 66% of patients received surgical treatment, and 83.9% had a satisfactory reduction. CONCLUSION: Acetabular fractures are uncommon injuries, with road traffic accidents being the most common cause of injury. Posterior wall fracture was the most frequent pattern; most patients were males. Our results are comparable to the literature. However, we recommend future studies to measure the outcome of acetabular fracture management.