After a pelvic fracture, there may be injuries to organs within the pelvic ring such as the intestines, kidneys, bladder or genitals. Ct scan is the best imaging study for evaluation of pelvic anatomy and degree of pelvic, retroperitoneal, and intraperitoneal bleeding. Open book pelvic injuries result from an anteroposterior compression injury to the pelvis and result in a combination of ligamentous rupture andor fractures to. Pelvic fracture knowledge for medical students and. Stabilize fracture with pelvic binder or bed sheet wrapped around greater trochanter physicians often make mistake of wrapping around the iliac crest if suspect pelvic injury and patient is unstable, place pelvic bindersheet immediately then obtain xray when patient is stable. The pelvis consists of the pubis, ilium, and ischium bones among others held together by tough ligaments.
Results from an anteroposterior compression injury to the pelvis. Do not apply a compressive device for isolated lateral compression pelvic fractures as the device can cause further compression and worsen the displacement 4. Pelvic fractures pediatric orthopaedic society of north. Severe injuries to the pelvis that involve several breaks can be lifethreatening. Compression injuries tend to cause fractures that involve the pelvic ring and are unstable. Besides the stable or unstable classification, pelvic fractures can also be either open or closed. Classification of pelvic fractures litfl ccc trauma. Internal rotation and taping of the lower extremities for closed pelvic. Like an open book, tears in the pelvic ligaments, as well as in the sacral ligaments can result in massive blood loss. Stabilize the pelvis with a tpod or a sheet for patients with open book pelvic fractures. Separation of the symphysis pubis and one or both sacroiliac joints. The main source of hemorrhage is the shearing injury of posterior thin walled venous plexus 80%.
Our patient was admitted for multiple traumatic injuries and underwent closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of posterior pelvic ring. Review of textbook chapter on assessment and management of pelvic fractures for orthopaedic surgery residents. You may not embed one of our images on your web page without a link back to our site. Pelvic fractures most often occur in patients with multiple trauma caused by impact injuries such as car accidents or falls. Hemorrhage is leading cause of death following pelvic fractures. Pelvic fracture definition of pelvic fracture by medical. Women with an open pelvic fracture have also been shown to have a lower sf36 scores with worse bodily pain, physical function and physical ability compared to a case matched, historical group of closed pelvic fractures. The authors concluded that openbook fractures create an increase of pelvic volume that facilitates blood diffusion from the pelvic vessels. Pelvic fracture surgery uw orthopaedics and sports. Pelvic external fixation is faster and less morbid than other surgical treatments for unstable pelvic fractures, and therefore provides an excellent alternative to pelvic open reduction in the. Unstable pelvic fractures include disruption of the ring anteriorly at the symphysis pubis or through a pubic bone and are broadly categorized into three types. A popular term for a complex pelvic fracture, in which an anterior compression force disrupts the sacroiliac joints by more than 4 mm, causing diastasis of the symphysis pubis of more than 5 mm and externally rotates each hemipelvis. Four main forces have been described in highenergy blunt force trauma that results in unstable pelvic fractures 1,3,5.
An openbook pelvic fracture is a term used to describe any fracture that. In this series, we treated patients with open pelvic fractures successfully, with a survival rate of 96%. A biomechanical comparison of ipsilateral and contralateral pedicle screw placement for modified triangular osteosynthesis in unstable pelvic fractures. Open book pelvic injuries result from an anteroposterior compression injury to the pelvis and result in a combination of ligamentous rupture andor fractures to both the anterior and posterior arches 5. Closeup view of the pelvis shows widening of both sacroiliac joints white arrows. The pelvic stability of every patient with multiple trauma must be checked, as shifted pelvic injuries tend to lead to extensive. When someone breaks their pelvis because of a serious accident, they may also have internal bleeding and damage to nerves and internal organs.
Ct scan also confirms hip dislocation associated with an acetabular fracture. In 60%, a laceration of the iliolumbar vein occurred after 5 cm of pubic diastasis. It is usually associated with abdominal, vascular and nervous. Open pelvic fractures are rare but represent a serious clinical problem with high mortality rates.
Concomittant injuries such as urethral injury are common. Open book pelvic injury radiology reference article radiopaedia. Both external outside the skin and internal located in or on the bone fixations are advocated. Pediatric pelvic ring fractures children with open triradiate cartilage have different fracture patterns than do children whose triradiate cartilage has closed if triradiate cartilage is open the iliac wing is weaker than the elastic pelvic ligaments, resulting in bone failure before pelvic ring disruption. The majority of pelvic fractures can be managed closed, and most complications and poor outcomes are related to unstable pelvic fractures. This is often the result from a heavy impact to the groin pubis, a common motorcycling accident injury. One specific kind of pelvic fracture is known as an open book fracture.
Pelvic fractures are breaks in the pelvis, which is the strong bony ring connecting the base of the spine to the hips. Comparison between internal and external fixation m akbar, rana muhammad arshad, muhammad hanif, raza elahi rana abstract the objective of this study was to compare two different techniques of pelvic. The mortality rate associated with acetabular fractures is 3 percent, while open pelvic fractures, which comprise 2 to 4 percent of all pelvic fractures, are associated with a mortality rate of up to 45 percent. Open pelvic fractures have traditionally had a literaturequoted mortality rate that approached 50% due to the additional risk of hemorrhage and pelvic sepsis. A pelvic ring fracture is sometimes called an open book fracture, due to the now open appearance of the previously closed and stable pelvic ring.
Emergency stabilization of unstable pelvic fractures ems. Open fractures are particularly serious because, once the skin is broken, infection in. If you would like a large, unwatermarked image for your web page or. Diastasis widening of the pubic symphysis greater than 1 cm can represent instability with diastasis greater than. The outcome of surgically treated traumatic unstable pelvic fractures by open reduction and internal fixation. Openbook fractures of the pelvis are uncommon during childhood and require urgent treatment from the association with other abdominal, vascular or nervous injuries. A recent study reports that patients with initial fracture displacement of 5 mm or. Causes disruption of pubic symphysis and the pelvis opens like a book. The case discussed is an openbook fracture type b1, tile classification associated with triradiate cartilage injury type i, salterharris classification in an 11yearold. Open pelvic fractures are relatively rare but are a cause of significant morbidity. They are often associated with other highmortality injuries as well, such as chest injuries, spinal injuries.
Open book pelvic fracture and malgaigne pelvic fracture. Description the pelvis is a butterflyshaped group of bones located at the base of the spine. Both stable and unstable pelvic fractures can also be divided into open fractures, in which the bone fragments stick out through the skin, or closed fractures, in which the skin is not broken. Critical management of deadly pelvic injuries jems. Vaginal delivery after pelvic fracture fixation with a. Data of patients older than 16 years of age who were admitted to our.
The open pelvic fracture was the primary or an important secondary cause of death in 85% of. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of open pelvic fractures in our clinic and to compare the results from our patient group with those of closed fractures and with the literature from the past decade. There was no significant difference in survival rate between open and closed pelvic fractures. However, in displaced pelvic fractures resulting in cephalopelvic disproportion there is a need for closer evaluation and some may infact require caesarean section. These include open book fractures, when the pelvis is broken at the front and the back by severe force from the front, and lateral or sideways force fractures which often fracture the pubic rami and the sacroiliac joints, sometimes also involving the hip socket.
Most pelvic fractures are stable and occur with a lowenergy mechanism of injury. Displaced misaligned fractures and dislocations of the pelvic ring can be stabilized with various surgical techniques. Pelvic fractures information for the public fractures. In an open fracture, the skin is broken and the bone and underlying tissue is exposed. Pelvis injuries the american association for the surgery of trauma. They can be lifethreatening in the context of uncontrollable pelvic bleeding, which may require treatment with emergent pelvic fixation or angioembolization.
The majority of these fractures are what is commonly referred to as an open book pelvic fracture given the opening of the pubic symphysis anteriorly. Open book pelvic injuries are most often the result of highenergy trauma and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to associated vascular injuries pathology. Results in tears of the strong pelvic ligaments that hold the pelvis bones together. In this instance, the front of the pelvis opens like a book. Often seen in elderly falls vs mva or other high speed trauma. The mortality for open pelvic fractures was 42% compared with 10. The most common highenergy mechanism of injury is a motor vehicle accident mva. Open book fracture definition of open book fracture by. The evaluation and treatment of these fractures are described in pelvic fractures. In this kind of injury, the left and right halves of the pelvis. Patients present with pelvic pain, reduced range of motion, and hematomas. Like the other two fractures, half of the pelvis is crushed either inward or outward, again, resulting in damage to surrounding vessels and structures. Although successful reduction of openbook pelvic fractures with a circumferential sheet has been reported, this technique is often difficult to consistently reproduce, requires multiple providers. A trend toward definitive fixation with either a closed or open approach has been seen in multiple case series.
Lateral and vertical fractures tend to be less traumatic than open book fractures which have more potential for massive bleeding due to expanding volume in pelvic ring. A variety of surgical techniques are used to stabilize pelvic ring disruptions fractures andor dislocations. Patients with pelvic fractures who are in shock at presentation have high mortality. Open book pelvic injury radiology reference article. Pelvic fractures are sustained by highenergy mechanisms and require a comprehensive workup for concomitant injuries of the brain, abdominal viscera, and genitourinary system pediatric pelvic ring injuries differ significantly from adult pelvic trauma with regards to. Pelvic stability provides comfort, decreases hemorrhage and. Pelvic ring fractures carry a significant mortality, ranging from 1525% in closed fractures, and as much as 50% in open fractures 3. Fortunately, a majority of pelvis fractures are minor, and while painful, do not.
1339 1204 1321 1425 145 1236 390 649 269 116 164 135 425 1510 1225 591 1017 814 1154 425 487 1443 592 1474 629 509 200 1079 698 560 988 846 549 893