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Conservative care yields function similar to surgery for acetabular fractures in elderly
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 Scott P. Ryan |
SAN ANTONIO — Functional outcomes of elderly patients with acetabular fractures treated nonoperatively were equivalent to those surgically treated, according to a study presented by Scott P. Ryan, MD, at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.
“Treatment of acetabular fractures in the elderly remains controversial,” Ryan said during his presentation. “Current studies advocate operative treatment with lack of comparison groups.”
Ryan and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of elderly patients older than 60 years who had acetabular fractures that were treated either nonoperatively or surgically during a 7-year period. Mean age of the nonoperative group was 74 years and mean age in the surgically treated group was 68 years. On radiographic examination, the researchers noted that 15 patients would have been treated operatively if they were young.
After treatment, the team found no significant differences between groups for WOMAC and SF-8 scores.
“Functional outcomes of elderly patients treated nonoperatively for acetabular fractures may not be as bad as once thought,” Ryan said. “They can be expected to have equivalent functional outcomes when compared to an operatively treated group of younger patients.”
Reference:
- Ryan SP, Manson TT, Lebrun CT, Nascone JW, Sciadini MF, Castillo RC, O’Toole RV. Functional outcomes of nonoperative treatment of geriatric acetabular fractures meeting operative criteria. Paper #71. Presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Oct. 12-15. San Antonio.
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