Epidemiology and clinical patterns of acetabular fractures in yaoundé: A 3-year prospective survey

Abstract

Acetabular fractures are uncommon but very serious injuries. Literature on the epidemiology of acetabular fractures is scanty, most especially in our context, as no studies have been found on the exact burden of these injuries. The aim of our study was to describe the epidemiology of acetabular fractures over a 3-year period, in the capital city of Cameroon. This preliminary epidemiological study in Yaounde would provide a platform to advance high-level clinical research. We obtained data for 76 patients who presented to our centres from 2018 to 2020 with a diagnosis of acetabular fracture. Age, sex, the cause of injury, fracture classification, mode of treatment, associated injuries, and other complications were analysed. We had an annual incidence of 1 case per hundred thousand inhabitants and the number of new cases increased steadily over the years. The average age of the population was 37.2 years with a sex ratio of 2.8. Indirect mechanisms, precisely dashboard injuries during high energy road traffic accidents constituted the most common mechanism for acetabular fractures (80%). The fracture patterns according to the Judet and Letournel’s classification system were simple in 54% and complex in 46%, and mainly associated with hip dislocation, other lower limb fractures and pelvic fractures. Eighty-six percent (86%) of patients were managed by open reduction and internal fixation with the Kocher-Langenbeck approach being the most used surgical approach (87%). Acetabular fractures are therefore rare in Yaounde but present a rising trend, affecting mainly young active adults involved in high energy road traffic accidents.