Clinical Research Directory

Geriatric Acetabular fracTures: Open Reduction Internal Fixation Versus Replacement

Management of acetabular (hip) fractures in the geriatric population can be very challenging because of pre-existing medical comorbidities, pre-existing osteoporosis and increased risk of mortality. The two most common treatment options for acetabular fractures are either surgical fixation using plates and screws to hold the fractured pieces in the correct position until the fracture has healed or surgical fixation in addition to a total hip replacement. Surgical fixation requires prolonged immobilization of the affected limb (typically around 6-12 weeks post-operatively), which can lead to disability and other complications. Such patients, especially those who are frail and cognitively impaired, are unable to adhere to the immobilization restrictions, leading to an increased risk of fixation failure. Patients who underwent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of an acetabular fracture were reported to have about 25 times greater incidence of hip replacement compared with general population matched controls. Additionally, performing a subsequent hip replacement after a previous surgical fixation (ORIF) of an acetabular fracture, especially in the elderly population, can present a number of technical difficulties including; difficult dissection due to previous incision(s) and scarring, dealing with retained hardware, bony deficiency and the possibility of infected hardware. The aim of the study is to perform a large cohort study to assess pain and physical function in patients 60 years and older who have sustained an acetabular fracture.

Pelvic and Acetabular Fracture: A Prospective Observational Study

The purpose of this study is to understand the trajectory of function and self-reported outcomes of patients following pelvic and acetabular, treated both operatively and nonoperatively.

Rim Plate to Buttress Plate for Posterior Wall Acetabular Fractures With and Without Inter-fragmentary Screws

The hypothesis of this study is that the Rim Plate method utilizing interfragmentary screws placed through the plate will result in superior fixation, a lower rate of loss of reduction of the fracture fragment, better anatomic healing of the articular (joint) surface, a decreased rate of early post-traumatic arthritic changes of the joint (cartilage) surface, and improved functional outcomes.

Weight-bearing of Surgically Treated Acetabular Fractures.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether patients with operatively treated acetabular fractures benefit from early weight-bearing as tolerated. The study compares two groups ( n = 25 each), which are randomised into either weight-bearing as tolerated or touch-down weight-bearing for 6-8 weeks postoperatively. Both study groups are stratified according to * Type of fracture (anterior approach vs anterior + additional posterior approach) * Dislocated dome vs non-dislocated/ non existing separate dome fragment Patients, who are eligible to participate in the trial but choose not to participate in randomisation are asked to enrol in a prospective cohort follow-up cohort. This is to examine a potential participation bias in the RCT groups. These patients will not be counted into the target amount of 50 RCT patients.