Abdominal Pain Caused by Bilateral Acetabular Fractures Secondary to an Epileptic Seizure Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background: Epileptic patients have increased risk of fractures. This is related to the traumatic event itself and to concomitant factors. Clear fracture related complaints are not always present at primary survey of these patients. This indicates a thorough primary evaluation of the complete individual post-seizure. We present a unique case of abdominal pain due to bilateral acetabular fracture after an epileptic seizure.

Case Report: A 66-year old patient, who chose to live solitary and was in suboptimal hygienic condition, was admitted to the neurological department after two epileptic seizures. Three days after admission, an abdominal radiograph revealed bilateral acetabular and pubic fractures as chance findings. Treatment was challenging due to patient and fracture specific conditions. Conservative treatment options were limited and eventually failed. Eventually, bilateral total hip prosthesis with bone impaction grafting were performed. At one-year follow up, no restriction in active daily living was noted.

Conclusion: Seizure induced bilaterally acetabular fractures are very rare. Thorough physical examination after an epileptic seizure is imperative to identify fractures. Abdominal pain can be the only symptom of a fractured acetabulum. Treatment options are dependent of patient’s morbidity, bone quality and surgeon’s preference. Primary total hip arthroplasty might be indicated and can offer good results even in case of bilateral acetabular fractures.