Non-operative management of acetabular fractures - The use of dynamic stress views

To assess the stability of the hip after acetabular fracture, dynamic fluor oscopic stress views were taken of 41 acetabular fractures that met the cri teria for non-operative management. These included roof arcs of 45 degrees, a subchondral CT are of 10 mm, displacement of less than 50% of the poster ior wall, and congruence on the AP and Judet views of the hip. There were t hree unstable hips which were treated by open reduction and internal fixati on, The remaining 38 fractures were treated non-operatively with early mobi lisation and delayed weight-bearing, At a mean follow-up of 2.7 years, the results were good or excellent in 91% of the cases, Three fair results were ascribed to the patients' other injuries. Dynamic stress views can identif y subtle instability in patients who would normally be considered for non-o perative treatment.