Introduction:
Obturator hip dislocations with an associated osteochondral fracture of the femoral head are uncommon. The treatment of these injuries is challenging and the functional outcomes are poor. Though the injury pattern has been described previously in literature, there are few published reports regarding treatment options. This case report illustrates a novel technique for fixation and stabilization for an unusual injury involving an obturator hip dislocation and an osteochondral impaction fracture of the femoral head.
Case presentation:
A 30-years old African American male, involved in a motor vehicle collision, sustained an obturator dislocation of the left hip with a large posterior osteochondral fracture of the femoral head. An emergency closed reduction procedure was performed followed by a computed tomography (CT) scan of the hip joint which demonstrated a large osteochondral defect (25 x 10 mm, depth: 5 mm) of the femoral head, visualized within the weight-bearing area. Surgical intervention was planned as a fracture of the femoral head with a defect deeper than four millimeters has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of post-traumatic arthritis, often with onset of symptoms within 5 years of the date of injury. Following surgical hip dislocation, the defect of the femoral head was reconstructed with implantation of a femoral head allograft and internal fixation. At the six months follow-up, the patient could ambulate with minimal pain and without assistive devices. Radiographs demonstrated maintenance of articular congruity with no evidence of implant failure, post-traumatic arthritis or avascular necrosis.
Conclusion:
Surgical hip dislocation and reconstruction using femoral head allograft used to treat obturator hip dislocations with concomitant femoral head impaction fractures can lead to satisfactory short term functional outcomes.