Fractures and dislocations about the hip in head-injured adults.

Twenty-nine of 591 head-injured adults (4.9%) sustained concomitant injuries about the hip. Three hip injuries were undetected during initial hospitalization (10%). Sixteen patients (55%) developed varying amounts of heterotopic ossification about the injured hip. Eleven of 23 hips (41%) treated by nonoperative methods developed heterotopic ossification. Six hips underwent open reduction and five developed heterotopic bone (83%). The severity of injury, especially central acetabular and posterior fracture-dislocations, increased the occurrence and amount of heterotopic bone. Ipsilateral hemiplegia did not seem to influence the incidence or amount of heterotopic ossification. As the amount of heterotopic ossification increased, the range of hip motion decreased.