Modified Stoppa approach for acetabular fracture in a pregnant patient: case report and review of literature

Abstract

Acetabular fractures in pregnant patients are usually rare scenarios. The management of traumatized pregnant patients is challenging due to their specific physiological and anatomical body changes, the possible exposure to teratogenic radiation, and risky therapeutic interventions. We report a 27-year-old pregnant patient with a gestational age of 22 weeks presented with a T-shape acetabular fracture after road traffic accident. The fracture was surgically managed by open reduction and internal fixation using combined posterior and modified Stoppa approaches to the acetabulum. A normal viable infant was delivered through cesarian delivery 10 weeks after trauma. Modified Stoppa approach for acetabulum can be used safely in acetabular fracture fixation in pregnant patients with less invasiveness, similar scar of cesarian section, better visualization of the quadrilateral plate of the acetabulum, and less maternal morbidity.