A clinical study on indomethacin for prevention of heterotopic ossification following surgical treatment of acetabular fractures

Objective To investigate the effect of indomethacin on prevention of heterotopic ossification (HO)after operative treatment of acetabular fractures.Methods Fifty patients with acetabular fractures received in our department operative treatment through Kocher-langenbeck(K-L)approach and oral administration of in- domethacin afer operation from February 2001 to August 2003.Forty-eight of them were successfully followed up for incidence of HO and their clinical functions were assessed.The results were compared with those of 40 patients who had been treated with the same operative procedures but without oral administration of indomethacin in our depart- ment from March 1993 to May 1998.The patients who could not tolerate the drug were not included.Results The follow-ups averaged 22.8 months(range,6 to 39 months).HO occurred in eight cases.The incidence of HO was 16.7%(8/48).According to Brooker evaluation of HO,five cases were rated as degreeⅠ,three as degreeⅡ, and none as degreeⅢorⅣ.The incidence of severe HO was 0.In the control group,the incidence of HO was 35.0%(14/40)and the incidence of severe HO was 10.0%(4/40).The differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion Oral administration of indomethacin after operative treatment of acetabular fractures can inhibit HO.