BIOMECHANICAL EVALUATION OF A LOW ANTERIOR WALL FRACTURE - CORRELATION WITH THE CT SUBCHONDRAL ARC

Objective: To measure the effect of a simulated low anterior wall frac ture of the acetabulum on load transmission in the hip joint. Design: We measured the contact: areas and pressure between the acetabulum and the femoral head of cadaveric pelves in three different conditions: i ntact, with an operatively created fracture of the anterior wall, and after anatomic reduction and internal fixation of the fracture. Settin g: Hips were loaded in simulated single-limb stance. Pressure and area measurements were made with Fuji pressure-sensitive film. Specimens: Seven hip joints in seven whole pelves were tested. Intervention: Ante rior wall fractures were anatomically reduced and fixed. Main Outcome Measurements: Contact area, load, and mean and maximum pressures were measured, Results: Anterior wall fractures in our specimens entered th e hip joint an average of 9.7 millimeters from the vertex of the aceta bulum, corresponding to a 45-degree roof are measurement, Peripheral l oading seen in the intact acetabulum was disrupted after fracture. The loading pattern was not restored to preinjury levels with anatomic re duction and fixation. There was no significant change in the contact a rea (p = 0.43), force (p = 0.06), or mean (p = 0.57) ol maximum (p = 0 .20) pressures in the superior aspect of the acetabulum after creation of the anterior wall fracture. Conclusions: These results differ from those of previous studies with posterior wall acetabulum fractures, w here significant increases in force and mean and maximum pressures wer e noted in the superior acetabulum after fracture. The lack of signifi cant increases in superior acetabular pressures is discussed in relati on to the mean computed tomographic subchondral are of approximately t en millimeters in our specimens.