Clinical Study of the Orthopedic Management on the Fracture and Dislocation in the Patient associated with Head Injury

The head injuried patient with skeletal trauma is a challege to the orthopedic surgeon. The orthopedist initially may face the difficult management of fracture and dislocation in the patient associated with head injury. The management of the injuries to the head takes precedence over extremity injuries initially, but the orthopedist must be managed aggresively with assumption that full neurologic recovery will occur. This report analysed the treatment and results in 85 cases fracture and dislocation with head injury among the 59 patients at the Chungnam National University Hospital during the period ranging from March, 1980 to March, 1983. End result obtained are as follows: 1. The sex ratio between the male and female was 3.9: 1 and the prevalent age distribution was from 21 to 30 years of age. 2. The motorcycle accident was most common cause of the trauma and the next most frequent one was the automobile accident. 3. Type of head injury were contusion or concussion, intracranial hemorrhage, linear skull fracture, depressed skull fracture and open skull fracture. 4. Better result were obtained by operative treatment in femur fracture, especially spastic group. 5. The incidence of delayed diagnosis was 8 cases and the delay in diagnosis ranged from 15 to 95 days with an average of 38 days. 6. We, consulting with neurosurgeon, must assume that full neurologic recovery will take place and so open reduction and internal fixation should be carried out as quickly as possible.