Traumatic Anterior Hip Dislocation in the Elderly: Description and Review of a Rare Trauma

Background. Traumatic hip dislocation (THD) is an orthopaedic emergency that requires rapid reduction. THD is generally encountered in high-energy trauma. THD with low-energy trauma is extremely rare, even more so in the elderly. Methods/Results. We report the case of a 72-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with anterior superior left hip dislocation after a low-energy trauma. Results. The patient was initially treated with closed reduction. Because of recurring dislocation, closed reduction was performed a second time. Magnetic resonance imaging showed no soft tissue interposition. At 12 week follow-up, the patient complained of intractable hip pain and was treated with total hip arthroplasty. The post-operative course was uneventful with a return to pre-injury functional mobility. We also conducted a review of the literature with regard to anterior hip dislocation in the population aged 70 years or more. Conclusion. THD can be associated with significant morbidity. Time to reduction is considered essential in improving functional outcomes. In the case of poor functional outcomes, total hip arthroplasty should be considered.