Standard Approaches to the Acetabulum Part 2: Ilioinguinal Approach

The ilioinguinal approach is one of the standard approaches in the treatment of displaced acetabular fractures used during the last decades (9). The meta-analysis of Giannoudis et al. showed that 21.9% of acetabular fractures were historically treated using this approach (3). One of the disadvantages of this study was, that studies focussing especially on posterior wall stabilization and studies dealing with more complex fracture types treated by extended approaches were integrated. Thus, these fracture types were overrepresented. Re-analysis excluding these data lead to an increase of the rate of anterior approaches to 25.9%. More recent data (years 2005-2007) from the German multicenter study showed that presently in almost 45% of the cases the single ilioinguinal approach was used and only 38% of patients were stabilized via the KocherLangenbeck approach (11). Historically, the Smith-Peterson approach (15, 17) and the iliofemoral approach were used to treat acetabular fractures. In the 60ies, based on the work by Letournel and Judet, the ilioinguinal approach was developed for acetabular fracture fixation (9). It is an extrapelvic approach resulting in an indirect reconstruction concept of the acetabulum without direct visualization of the articular acetabulum. The ilioinguinal approach was the standard anterior approach during the last 30-40 years. An important advantage is the reduced soft tissue detachment of periarticular muscles with only a small risk of developing heterotopic bone formation. The aim of the second part of "Standard approaches to the acetabulum" is to report on the special topics indication, positioning, exposure, incision, dissection, the anatomical basis of osteosynthesis and present results using ilioinguinal approach.