Modified iliofemoral approach with osteotomy of the iliac crest, sparing the abdominal muscles, for the treatment of acetabular fracture

Abstract Treatment of acetabular fracture is complex, requiring adapted and often extensive surgical approaches. We describe a modified iliofemoral approach, with the particularity of including iliac crest osteotomy sparing abdominal muscles to allow direct control of reduction while respecting the abdominal muscles, creating a workspace as close to the fracture as possible, without involving the inguinal canal or femoral vascular-neural bundle. In 15 complex fractures, the technique provided 13 excellent or good reductions and 13 excellent or good results according to the Matta criteria. This approach can be combined with others, such as a posterior approach, thus providing an alternative to the ilioinguinal approach in the treatment of complex acetabular fracture.