Search

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) has been termed as 'operation of the century' as it provides a stable and mobile hip to patients who are debilitated by pathologies affecting the hip. Acetabular fractures pose a challenge for their initial management as well for the management of secondary osteoarthritis which is often the outcome of these fractures. The study attempts to evaluate the short term radiological, functional and quality of life outcomes of THA done in patients with prior acetabular fractures and to find a correlation between various factors., Materials and Methods: 47 patients who provided consent for this retrospective study were clinically and radiologically evaluated at their latest follow up. Ratios of horizontal offset, vertical offset, body lever arm and cup inclination were calculated with respect to the opposite normal hip on a radiograph. Questionnaires were filled up for Harris Hip Score (HHS), Short form -12, Short Musculoskeletal functional assessment (SMFA) and WHO-quality of life (WHO-QoL)., Results: HHS and quality of life scores had a tendency to improve over time. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was noted between scores of patients having less than 2 years follow up and more than 4 years follow-up. The HHS, radiological and quality of life parameters were not statistically significantly different when analysed based on acetabular fracture pattern, their primary management and aetiology necessitating the THA., Conclusion: The short term radiological, functional and quality of life parameters are dependent on the accuracy of the THA performed and are not significantly affected by the fracture type, initial management and outcomes of that management. However, longer follow up is necessary to evaluate these parameters even more accurately.