Journal of orthopaedic trauma
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To describe the clinical characteristics of combined injuries of the pelvis and acetabulum, which have not been previously described. We hypothesize that this combination of injuries affects not only the postinjury hemodynamics of the patient, but the outcome of subsequent acetabular fracture treatment. ⋯ Patients with combined pelvic and acetabular fractures represent a serious injury that includes the resuscitative challenges of pelvic injuries coupled with the difficulties of precise reduction of acetabular fractures. To obtain optimal reduction of the acetabulum, initial accurate reduction of the posterior pelvic lesion appears to be necessary.
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Intra-articular screw placement during acetabular surgery must be avoided. To date, no anatomic guidelines exist to prevent intra-articular screw placement in the treatment of complex acetabular fractures by the ilioinguinal or Stoppa approach. ⋯ This study identifies a safe zone for screw placement in the treatment of acetabular fractures when operated by an anterior approach. These findings have the potential to prevent further injury to the acetabular and femoral cartilage as a result of the surgical trauma and minimize intraoperative irradiation time.