6
34 W. C. HEAD THE JOURNAL OF BONE AND JOINT SURGERY 8. JOLLEY. M. N.: SALVATI, E. A.: and BROWN. G. C.: Early Res lts and Complications of Surface Replacement of the Hip. J. Bone and Joint Surg. . 64.A: 366-377, March 1982. 9. M A. S. M. : KAISO, J. M. : and AM5TUTz. H. C. : Frictional Torque in Surface and Conventional Hip Replacement. J. Bone and Joint Surg.. 65-A: 366-370, March 1983. 10 . MALLORY. T. H. , and D AN i. JOHN: Conservative Total Hip Replacement. A Comparison of Wagner Resurfacing Arthroplasty and Total Articular Replacement Arthroplasty. O rthopedics. 5: 10 1 2- 1 (1 1 5 . 1982. II. SE W HOY. A. L.: HEDLE A. K .: CLARKE. I. C.: GRUEN. T. A. W.: AMSTUTZ, H. C.: COSTER. I.: and MORELAND. J. R.: The Acetabular Cement-Bone Interface in Experimental Arthroplasties in Dogs. Clin. Orthop.. 155: 231-243. 1981. 12 . T0wNLE\-. C. 0.: Hemi and Total Articular Replacement Arthroplasty of the Hip ith the Fixed Femoral Cup. Orthop. Clin. North America, 13 : 869-894. 1982. 13 . TRENTANI, C. an d VACCARINO. F.: Italian Experience. Resurfacing Arthroplasty Using the Paltrinieri-Trentani Resurfacing Arthroplasty, 8 Year Assessment. Orthop. Trans., 5: 374. 1981. (up right I M4 h flu Journal o/ Bone ii,id J oi nt .5 ur , i . incorporatt-d The Role of Computerized Tomographic Scanning in the Evaluation of Major Pelvic Fractures BY KEVIN GILL. M.D.t, AND ROBERT W. BUCHOLZ, MD.I’, DALLAS, TEXAS From the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery. Unis-ersirs- of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas. Dallas ABSTRACT: Twenty-five patients with double ver- tical fractures of the pelvic ring had evaluations by both plain radiography and computed-tomography scan ing of the pelvis. In eight of the twenty- ive patients, the inte pretation that was made from the plain radio- graphs, based on the classification of Pennal et al., changed when additional anatomical information was provided by the computed-tomography scan. We rec- ommend that computed tomography be used f r: (1) doubl vertical frac ure-dislocations of the pelvic ring in which plain radiographs are inadequate to judg pel ic stability, (2) fractur s of th pelvic ring with extension into the acetabul m, and (3) major injuries to the hemipelvis that are to be treated by open reduction and internal fixation. However, due to the increased cost and radiation exposure, routine computed-tomography scan- fling is not justif ed for all injuries to the pelvic ring. Vertical fractures that are on the same side of the pelvic ring. and are both anterior and posterior to the acetabulum (Malgaigne pattern), may result in an unstable hemipelvis. Such injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the multiply injured patient. Although improved thera- peutic techniques directed at intrapelvic hemorrhage and associated pelvic visceral injuries have diminished the pre- viously high fatality rates, little progress has been made in reducing the chronic disability that often follows these high- energy injuries. The incidence of symptomatic limb-length discrepancy, pelvic obliquity , sa cro -ilia c arthritis . low-back pain, and permanent deficits of the Iumbosacral plexus re- mains high35. Dissatisfaction with the long-term results of 5 Read at the Annual Mee ing of The American Academy of Ortho- paedic Surgeons. Anaheim. California. March II . 1983. t Division o Orthopaedic Surgery. University ot Texas Health Sci- ence Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas. Texas 75235. conventional treatments has stimulated a new interest in double vertical fracture-dislocations of the hemipelvis. In order to make correct therapeutic decisions it is essential that the pelvic injury be properly classified, which in turn depends on the precise determination of its patho- logical anatomy. Acc rate restoration of the anatomy o the pelvic ring is the surest way to minimize future morbidity. Most classification systems rely on a clinical judgment of the probable mechanism of injury, and are based on the interpretation o standa d anteroposterior, inlet, and tilt ra- diographs of the pelvis6. The quality of these routine radiogr phs varies with the position of the injure patient, overlying soft-tissue and gas shadows, and radiographic resolution. A precise determination of the extent of the osseous and ligamentous injury to the pelvis, which is es- sential for correct therapeutic decisions, is therefore often impossible. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if computer-assisted tomographic scans significantly aid in the delineation of the pathological anatomy of double vertical fractures of the pelvic ring. Materials and Methods wenty-five patients with double vertical fracture of the pelvic ring were examined with both routine antero- posterior radiographs and pelvic computed-tomography scans. All patients had sustained at least one fracture anterior and one posterior to either acetabulum. The ages of th patients ranged from eleven to sixty-three years (median, thirty years). There were eight female and seventeen male patients. All injuries were caused by a high-energy impact such as a motor-vehicle accident or a fall from a height. Each injury was classified by the schema of Pennal et al . , using the information obtained from plain anteropos- tenor radiographs. Inlet and tilt radiographs of the pelvis were not made routinely, in order to mi imize the total

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34 W . C . HEAD

THE JOURNA L O F BONE AND JO INT SURGERY

8. J O LLEY . M . N .: SALVAT I , E . A .: an d BROW N . G . C .: E ar ly R e su lts a nd C om plic atio ns of Su rfac e R epla cem en t o f the H ip . J . B on e and Jo in t

Su r g . . 64 .A : 366- 377, March 1 982.

9. MA. S . M . : K A ISO , J . M . : an d AM 5TUT z. H . C . : F r ic tiona l To rqu e in S urface and Conventio na l H ip R epla cem en t. J. B one and Jo in t Su rg . .

65-A : 366- 370, March 1983.

10 . MALLORY . T . H . , an d D AN i. JOHN : Con se rvat ive To tal H ip R epla cem en t. A Com parison o f W agne r R esu rfa cing A rthro p la sty and T otal A r ticu lar

R eplacem ent A r thro p lasty . O rth oped ic s. 5: 10 1 2- 1 (1 1 5 . 1982 .

II. SE W HOY . A . L .: HEDLE A . K .: C LARKE . I. C .: GRUEN . T . A . W .: AMSTUTZ , H . C .: CO STER . I. : an d MOR ELAND . J . R .: T he A cetabu lar

C em en t-B one In te rfac e in Exper im ental A rth rop last ies in D og s. C lin . O rth op .. 155 : 231-2 43 . 1 981 .

12 . T0wNLE \ - . C . 0.: H em i and To tal A rticu lar R ep lacem ent A rthrop lasty o f th e H ip w ith th e F ixed Fem o ral C up . O rth op . C lin . N orth Am e rica , 13 :

869-894 . 19 82 .

13 . TRENTAN I , C .

,an d VACCAR INO . F .: Ita lia n Expe rien ce. R e sur fac ing A rth rop las ty U sing th e P altr in ieri-T ren tan i R esurfacin g A rthro p la sty , 8 Y ear

A sses sm ent. O rth op . T rans., 5: 374 . 198 1 .

(up righ t I M4 h flu Journa l o / B one ii,id J oi nt .5 ur , i . i ncor pora t t - d

Th e R o le o f C om pu ter ized T om ograph ic S cann in g

in th e E va lu a tion o f M a jor P e lv ic F rac tu res

BY KEVIN G ILL . M .D .t , A ND ROBERT W . BUCHOLZ , M D .I’, DALLA S, TEXAS

From the D iv is ion o f O r tho paed ic Surgery . U n is-ers irs- o f Te xa s H ea l th S cie nc e C en ter a t D a llas . D a lla s

ABSTRACT : Tw en ty -five patien ts w ith doub le v er -

tica l frac tu res of th e pe lv ic r ing had eva lua tion s by bo th

p la in rad io graphy and com pu ted -tom ography scann ing

of th e pe lv is . In e igh t o f th e tw en ty -five patien ts, th e

in terp re ta tion tha t w a s m ade from the p la in rad io-

g raph s, ba sed on th e cla ssif ica tion o f P ennal et a l.,

chang ed w hen add itiona l anatom ica l in form ation w as

prov id ed by th e com pu ted-tom ography scan . W e rec-

omm end that com pu ted tom ography be u sed for : (1 )

doub le vertica l fra ctu re-d isloca tion s of th e pe lv ic ring in

w h ich p la in rad io graph s are inadequate to judg e pe lv ic

stab ility , (2 ) fra c tu res o f the pelv ic r ing w ith ex ten sion

in to th e ace tabu lum , and (3) m a jo r in ju r ie s to th e

hem ipe lv is that are to b e trea ted by open reduction and

interna l fix ation . H ow ever , due to th e in creased co st and

rad iation exposure , rou tin e com pu ted -tom ography scan -

flin g is not ju stif ied fo r a ll in ju r ie s to th e pe lv ic r ing .

V ertica l fractu re s tha t are on the sam e s ide o f the p e lv ic

ring . an d a re bo th an ter io r and poste rio r to the ace tabu lum

(M alga ig ne pa tte rn ), m ay re su lt in an un stab le hem ip elv is .

S u ch in ju r ies a re a lead in g cause o f m o rb id ity and m orta lity

in the m ultip ly in ju red pa tien t. A ltho ugh im pro ved the ra -

p eu tic techn iq ues d irec ted a t in trap elv ic hem orrh age andasso cia ted pe lv ic v isce ra l in ju r ie s hav e d im in ish ed th e p re-

v io usly h ig h fa tality rate s , little p rog re ss h as been m ade in

red uc ing the ch ron ic d is ab ility tha t o ften fo llow s these h igh -

ene rgy in ju r ies . The in c idence of sym p tom a tic lim b-leng th

d isc repancy , p elv ic o b liqu ity , sa cro -ilia c a rth r itis . l ow -b ack

pa in , and pe rm an en t de fic its o f the Ium bo sacra l p lexu s re -

m a ins h ig h35 . D is sa tisfac tion w ith the lon g-te rm resu lts o f

5 R ead at the A nnua l M eeting o f The Am er ican A cad em y of Ortho-

pa ed ic S urg eon s. A nah eim . C a lifo rn ia . M arch I I . 1983 .

t D ivis ion of O rtho paed ic Su rge ry . U niv ers ity ot T ex as H ealth S ci-

ence C en ter, 5 323 H arry H ine s B ouleva rd , D a llas . T exas 75235.

conv en tion al treatm en ts h as stim u la ted a n ew in te re st in

do ub le ve rtica l frac tu re -d isloca tions o f th e hem ipe lv is .

In o rd er to m ake co rrec t the rapeu tic d ec isio ns it is

e ssen tial tha t the p elv ic in ju ry b e p ro pe rly cla ssif ied , w h ich

in tu rn dep en ds on th e p recis e d ete rm ina tion of its pa tho -

log ica l ana tom y . A ccurate re sto ra tio n of th e ana tom y of the

pe lv ic ring is the su re st w ay to m in im ize fu tu re m o rb id ity .

M o st c las sifica tion sy stem s re ly on a clin ica l jud gm en t o f

the p rob ab le m ech an ism of in ju ry , and a re based on th e

in te rp re ta tio n of standa rd an te ro poste r io r , in le t, and tilt ra -

d io g raph s o f the pe lv is6 . T he q ua lity o f these ro u tine

rad io g rap hs va ries w ith the po sition of the in ju red pa tien t,

ov erly ing so ft-tissue an d gas shadow s, and rad iog raph ic

re so lu tion . A p rec ise de te rm ina tion of the ex ten t o f th e

osseou s and ligam en tou s in ju ry to th e pe lv is , w h ich is e s-

sen tia l fo r co rrec t the rapeu tic dec ision s, is th ere fo re o ften

im possib le. Th e purpo se o f th is stu dy w as to ascerta in if

com pu te r-a ssis ted tom ograp h ic scans s ign if ican tly aid in the

d elin ea tion of the pa tho log ica l ana tom y o f do ub le ve rtica l

frac tu re s o f th e p elv ic r ing .

M ater ia ls and M ethods

Tw en ty -f ive pa tien ts w ith d oub le ve rtica l frac tu re o f

the pe lv ic r ing w ere exam ined w ith bo th ro u tine an te ro -po ster io r rad iog rap hs and p e lv ic com pu ted -tom ography

scan s. A ll pa tien ts h ad su sta ined at lea st o ne frac tu re an te rio r

and one p oste rio r to eith er ace tabu lum . Th e ag es o f the

pa tien ts ran ged from e leven to s ix ty - th ree years (m ed ian ,

th ir ty years) . T h ere w ere e igh t fem ale an d sev en teen m ale

pa tien ts . A ll in ju r ie s w ere cau sed by a h igh -ene rg y im pact

su ch as a m oto r-v eh icle acc iden t o r a fa ll from a h eig h t.

E ach in ju ry w as c la ssif ied by the sch em a of P en na l et

al . , us ing th e in fo rm atio n ob ta ined from pla in an te ropo s-

teno r rad iog raphs. In let and tilt rad iog raphs o f th e pe lv is

w ere no t m ad e rou tin ely , in o rde r to m in im ize the to ta l

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!: i FIG. 1-A

In th is eig h te en-yea r-o ld p atien t th e an tero po ste rio r rad iog rap h is sugg est ive of a sta b le la tera l com p ress ion in jury o f th e p elv is.

F IG . I- B

T he com puted- tom og rap hy scan , how ever . dem onstra te s an u nsta b le f ractu re w ith com m inu tion of the sacro-il iac jo in t a nd p os terio r d isp lacem ent

of th e hem ip elv is.

COM PUTERIZED TOMOGRAPH IC SCANNING IN THE EVALUATION OF MA JOR PELVIC FRACTURES 35

TABLE I

D IAGNOSES MADE FR OM Pt. . ; iN R AD IOGR A PHS C oSIPAR I:D V iTH TH OSE M ADF. FR OSt C o slP tTF :n-T osio uR xPH \ S- sNs

I ni ti al C l as si fi ca ti on .

B ased on A ntero pos terto r F ttia l ( ‘la ssit tca tion . B a sed on

R adiograph s C om pu ted -To tito graph v Scans

A nte rop osterio r con ipre ssion in ju ry A nte rop osterio r com p res sio n in jury

L ateral c om pre ssion in jury I.a tera l com p res sio n in jury

3

‘. c::% .4 7

2 I 7

7

I 5

2 5 25

V e rtic al she ar in ju ry V ert ical she ar in ju ry

T ota l T otal

* In tw o of th ree app aren t an te rop os terio r com press ion in ju rie s, fou r o f sev en ap paren t la teral com p res sio n les ion s, an d tw o of f ifte en ap paren t

ver tica l-shea r in ju ries, a change o f d iag nos is w as m ade .

1 B ased on the class ific atio n of Penna l et a l.

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4

FIG. 2- A

T his preope rat ive p la in rad io graph o f a sev en teen -ye ar-o ld patien t show s comm inu tion of th e sac ral pa rs la te ral is a nd d ias tasis of the pu bic sym phy sis

w ith cepha lad d isp la cem en t o f the left hem ipe lv is.

Th e po sto perativ e rad iog rap h in the sam e patien t sh ow s screw fix ation o f th e le ft s acro-il iac jo in t and plate fix ation o f th e pu bis .

36 KEV IN G ILL AND R . W . BU CHOLZ

THE JOURNAL OF BON E AND JO INT SURGERY

rad ia tion exp osu re o f th e p atien t. T h e th ree m ajo r catego rie s

in th e cla ssif icatio n o f P enn al e t a l . a re : ( 1 ) a nte ro po ste rio r

com p ressio n in ju ry , (2 ) la te ra l com pression in ju ry (stab le

o r u nstab le ), an d (3 ) ve rtica l shea r in ju ry .

C om puted -tom ograph y scans o f th e pe lv is w ere a lso

m ade fo r a ll tw en ty -f ive p atien ts w ith in one w eek of the

tim e o f in ju ry . Th e ana tom ica l d a ta ob tain ed from the scans

w ere th en used to rec la ssify each in ju ry .

Th e G en era l E lec tric 8 800 h igh -re so lu tio n w ho le -b ody

scann e r w as used fo r all pa tien ts . T h e pa tien t w as pos itioned

in the d oughnu t-sh ap ed gan try o f th e scan ne r, w h ich cou ld

be v a ried in d iam e te r from tw en ty to fo rty -fiv e cen tim e te rs .

1 !

4

T he gan try a lso cou ld be tilted to as m uch as 20 degrees

o ff the v ertical, thu s a lter ing the p lane o f tom og raph y to

im p rov e v isua liza tion of any fractu re fragm en ts . F iv e -m il-

lim e te r con tiguo us c ross-sectio na l im ag es w ere m ade eve ry

tw en ty -tw o seco nds, w ith a rad ia tion do se o f ap prox im ate ly

on e rad pe r ax ia l cu t. A n av erage of eig h t to ten ax ia l cu ts

w as n ecessa ry to eva lua te th e po ste rio r elem en ts o f the pe l-

v ic r ing . A n en tire pe lv ic s tudy w as com p leted in le ss th an

ten m in u te s. The an ter io r p art o f th e pe lv ic r ing w as no t

rou tine ly scan ned , thu s m in im iz ing the to tal rad ia tion do se

to the pa tien t.

Tw elv e o f the pa tien ts un de rw en t su rg ica l p roced ures

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Th e postope rat ive com puted- to ti iog rap hy scan rev eals tha t th e screw thre ads d id n ot g ain ad equ ate p urcha se on the in ta ct sac rum . T his u ns atis fac to ry

po sition of the screw s de lay ed m obiliza tion of th e pat ien t.

C OM PU TER IZED TOM OGRAPH IC SCANN ING IN THE EVA LUAT ION O F M A JO R PELV IC FRACTURES 37

VO l. 66 -. . NC ) I . JAN UARY 1954

an d h ad fo llow -up com puted -tom ograp hy scans to ev alu ate

th e resu lt.

Results

In eig h t p atien ts th e in itia l c la ssif ica tion o f the pe lv ic

in ju ry , m ade from p la in rad iog raphs , w as chang ed b ecause

o f the ad d ition a l ana tom ica l in fo rm a tion prov id ed by the

com puted -tom ography scan . Four o f these pa tien ts h ad had

th e com ple te p la in rad iog raph ic s tudy , in c lud in g an te ro -

po ste rio r , tilt, an d in le t rad io g rap hs. T ab le I lis ts th e changes

in c la ssif ica tion acco rd ing to spec ific m ech an ism o f in ju ry .

F o ur in ju rie s th at o rig ina lly had b een c la ssif ied as stab le

w ere rec las sified as un stab le ve rtica l-shear in ju r ies (F ig s.

1 -A and 1-B ). In tw o o f th ese pa tien ts seve re comm inu tio n

of th e sac ro -ilia c jo in t w as sh ow n on the com puted -tom og-

raphy scan , and tw o dem ons tra ted p rev ious ly u nsu spec ted

poste r io r d isp lacem en t o f the ilium at th e sac ro -ilia c jo in t.

In s ix pa tien ts occu lt in ju rie s to th e con tra la tera l s ac ro -ilia c

jo in t w ere revea led b y the scan .

U n expected ex tensio n of the hem ipe lv ic frac tu re in to

th e ace tabu lum w as m ade v isib le by the com puted -tom og-

rap hy scan in th ree pa tien ts . S im ila r ly , an un satis fac to ry

p osition of th e sc rew s, w h ich w as im possib le to v isua lize

on the p la in rad iog raph s, w as show n by the pos to pe ra tive

scans in th ree pa tien ts (F ig s. 2 -A , 2 -B , an d 2-C ).

Th e scanne r can produ ce sag ittal reconstruc tive im ages

by u tiliz ing the in fo rm atio n prov id ed b y th e ax ial im ages.

I t c rea te s an im ag e in the sag itta l p lan e tha t is p e rpen d icu la r

to the ax ial p lane . H ow eve r , the se sag ittal reco nstruc tions

w ere no t fo und to be as he lp fu l in revea ling frac tu re -d is-

lo ca tion s o f the pe lv ic r ing as they have b een in d em on-

s tra ting iso lated ace tabu lar frac tu res .

Discussion

S tab ility o fthe pe lv ic rin g is d ep en den t on th e stru c tu ra l

in teg rity o f th e pos ter io r e lem en ts , in clu d ing the sac ro -ilia c

jo in t. the sac rum , the ilium , an d the ad jo in in g ligam en t

structures’. The po ste rosupe rio r sac ro -ilia c ligam en t co rn -

p lex p lay s an espec ially im po rtan t supp orting ro le. C orn -

p le te d isrup tio n of on e o r m o re o f th ese os seous o r

liga rnen tou s com pon en ts re su lts in an unstab le hem ip e lv ic

fragm en t. L esser in ju r ie s , su ch as an iso la ted ru p tu re o f th e

an te r io r sacro -iliac ligam en t o r a ha irlin e fractu re th rou gh

th e sacra l fo ra rn en , a re m in im ally d isp laced an d essen tia lly

stab le . W ith com ple te po ste rio rd isrup tion ofthe pe lv ic rin g ,

how ev er , d isp lacem en t o f th e h e rn ip e lv is m ay occu r in th ree

p lanes. M os t p atte rns o f in ju ry invo lve cep ha lad . p oste rio r,

and ex te rn al ro ta to ry d isp lacem en t’ . W hile n o qu an titativ e

criter ia fo r p elv ic stab ility hav e been un ive rsa lly accep ted .

it h as been gene ra lly ag reed th a t an y d eg ree o f cepha lad or

po ster io r d isp lacem en t o f the h em ipe lv is is d iagn ostic o f an

u nstab le le sio n6 .

A standa rd rad iog raph ic stu dy o f a traum atized pe lv is

inc lud es an te ropo ste rio r , in le t (x -ray beam d irec ted 3 0 to

45 deg rees caudad) , and tilt rad iog raphs (x -ray beam di-

rec ted 30 to 45 d egrees cepha lad ) . T he in let rad iog rap h

v isu alize s the an te rio r asp ect o f the sacra l pa rs la tera lis , the

sacro -ilia c jo in t, an d the ad jacen t pa rt o f the ilium , and can

be used to d e tec t an teropo ste rio r d isp lacem en t o f the h em i-

pe lv is . T h e tilt rad io g rap h d isc lose s the ex ten t o f cepha lad

d isp lacem en t. N one ofthese standa rd rad io g rap hs, h ow ev er .

dem onstrate the s tatu s o f the po ste rio r aspect o f the sac ro -

ilia c jo in t, the am oun t o f com m inu tio n of a sac ra l o r sacro -

ilia c frac tu re , o r the true am oun t o f ro ta tion o f th e hem i-

p e lv ic fragm en t. T hus , w h ile som e in fe ren ce co ncern in g

p e lv ic stab ility is fea sib le , a p rec ise de fin ition o f th e in ju ry

is ra re ly a tta inab le from these s tan dard rad iograp hs.

Com pu ter ized tom og raph ic scans appea r to o ffe r sev -

e ral d is tinc t adv an tag es ove r ro u tine rad io g rap hs. Th ese in -

d ude : ( 1 ) an unobs tru cted c ross-sectio na l im age o f the

seve rity o f th e po ste rio r in ju ry to the p elv ic r ing ; (2 ) a c lear

d isp lay of th e sp atia l o r ien tatio n an d p lanes o f d isp lacem en t

o f th e h em ipe lv is ; (3 ) a de ta iled p ic tu re o f any ace tabu la r

in vo lv em en t; an d (4 ) in pa tien ts trea ted b y in te rna l f ixa tion .

an accu rate w ay to ev alu ate th e adequ acy of frac tu re re -

duc tion , the p lacem en t o f im p lan ts . and th e p rog re ss o f

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FIG. 3-B

38 KEV IN G ILL AND R . W . BUCHO LZ

THE JOURNAL OF BON E AND JO INT SU RG ERY

Th is an te rop osterio r rad iog rap h of a tw en ty-f ive -ye ar-o ld v ict im o f a m otor-v eh icle ac cid en t show s a se em ing ly in tact p elv ic ring .

Th e com puted-tom ograph y scan , how ev er. d em ons tra tes a prev io us ly unsuspec ted lo ck ed sacro-il iac jo in t. E x tens ive com m inution o f th e po ste rio r

p art o f the sacrum was also n oted .

hea ling of th e frac tu re .

Th e deg ree o f po ste rio r d isrup tion o f th e pe lv ic r ing is

inva riab ly un de re stim ated on p la in rad iog raphs (F igs. 3 -A

and 3-B ). W hile frac tu re s o f th e sac rum o r ilium and sub-

luxa tio ns o f th e sac ro -ilia c jo in t ar e gene ra lly d etec tab le ,

the ex ten t o f com m inu tion is o ften le ss ev id en t. F rac tu re

comm inu tio n o ccurs m ost frequen tly a lon g the an te rio r a s-

pec t o f the sacro -iliac jo in t and th ro ugh th e th in ned cortice s

a long the sac ral fo ram ina2 9 . O ccasiona lly th e en tire sac ra l

pa rs late ralis w ill be fragm en ted . In th ree pa tien ts in o ur

ser ie s the comm inu tion w as jud ged on the com puted -tom og-

raph y scan s to b e to o ex ten sive to pe rm it sa tisfac to ry in te rn al

f ixa tion , an d ex terna l f ixa tion w as chosen as an a lterna tive

treatm en t. Po ste rio r lo ck ing of th e an ter io r lip o f the ilium

beh ind th e sac ral po rtion o fth e sac ro -ilia c jo in t w as app a ren t

in th ree o f o ur tw en ty -five p a tien ts . W hile such lo ck ing m ay

b e seen on a standa rd in le t rad iog raph of the p elv is , th is

o bscu red portion of the jo in t is d ifficu lt to ana lyze rad io -

g raph ical ly .

Th e ax ial transv erse cu ts o f the com puted -tom ography

scan can prov id e ind ispu tab le ev id en ce of frac tu re

d isp lacemen t5 . A nte ropo ste rio r an d ro tatio na l m a lpositio n

a re espec ially w e ll de linea ted . In th e ir c las sifica tion o f p el-

v ic d is rup tions , P en na l e t a l. d is tin gu ished b etw een s tab le

an te ro poste r io r an d late ral com press ion in ju rie s and un stab le

ve rtica l-shear in ju r ies , b a sed o n an ev a lu a tion of the sta tu s

o f th e po ste rosupe rio r sac ro -ilia c ligam en t com plex and the

re la tive po sitions o f th e h em ipe lv ic fragm en ts . Four o f ou r

tw en ty -five p atien ts w ere in itia lly ju dg ed to have com pres-

sion in ju r ies on the basis o f a s ing le an te ropo ster io r rad io -

g rap h , bu t late r th e in ju rie s w ere recla ssif ied as uns tab le

ve rtica l-sh ea r fractu re s because o f th e com ple te pos te r io r

in ju ry seen o n th e com puted -tom ography scans. T he p lans

fo r de fin itive trea tm en t in th ese fo u r p a tien ts w ere a lte red

acco rd ing ly . T he re su lts o f th is com para tive stu dy have

prom pted u s to jud ge and trea t all pe lv ic in ju rie s o n th e

basis o f th eir spec ific pa tho log ica l ana tom y ra th er th an b y

a p re sum ptiv e d iagn osis o f the m echan ism of in ju ry .

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COM PUTER IZED TOMOGRAPH IC SCANNING IN THE EVALUATION OF M A JOR PELVIC FRACTURES 39

VOL . 6 6-A , NO . 1 , JA NU ARY 19 84

Ace tabu la r d is rup tions frequ en tly accom pany p elv ic

r ing in ju rie s . W hile inv o lvem en t o f the h ip jo in t is u sua lly

ob v iou s o n p la in rad iog raph s, com pu ted -tom og raph y scans

id eally o u tline the degree o f frac tu re comm inu tio n and ace -

tab u la r incon gru ity47 . C om pute r ized tom og raph ic stu d ie s

g rea tly fac ilitate th e p reo pe ra tive p lann in g o f su rg ical ap -

p roaches.

O p en reduc tio n and in terna l fixa tion is occas iona lly thep refe rred treatm en t fo r an u nstab le pe lv ic -rin g in ju ry9 . P o st-

op era tive d ec ision s co ncern in g m obilizatio n of the pa tien t

an d w eig h t-b earing m ust be based o n a c lin ical judgm en t

at the tim e of ope ratio n o f the adequ acy of the f ixa tion and

th e phase o f os seous hea ling a t any g iven po in t in tim e .

The ex ac t loca tio n and pu rchase o f screw th reads a re o ften

d iff icu lt to de term in e o n p la in rad io g rap hs, bu t a re easily

seen on com puted -tom ograp hy scans. A n unsa tisfac to ry p o-

sitio n o f the screw s in the reg io n o f com m inu tion of the

frac tu re w as th ough t to com prom ise fractu re f ixa tion in th ree

p atien ts in ou r se r ies . C a llu s fo rm a tion an d bone -rem od e ling

a lso w ere c lea rly v isua lized on th e com pu ted -tom og raph y

scans th at w ere ob ta ined tw o to six m on th s af te r in ju ry .

B ased on the re su lts o f th is s tudy , w e recomm end the

use o f ad junc tive com puted -tom ograp hy scan s in the eva l-

ua tion of m a jo r p elv ic-r ing in ju r ies w hen th ere is a d oub le

vertical frac tu re o r su b luxa tion of the hem ip elv is in w hichan te ropos te r io r , in le t, and tilt rad iog raphs cann o t co nc lu -

sive ly d em ons tra te the stab ility o f th e in ju ry ; w hen th e re is

an ilia c frac tu re w ith ex ten sion in to o ne o r bo th ace tabu la ;

an d w hen m ajo r in ju r ies o f th e hem ipe lv is are to be trea ted

by open redu c tio n an d in te rn al fixa tion of th e p oste r io r p a rt

o f th e p elv ic r ing . H ow ev er , du e to the cost and rad ia tion

ex posu re o f p elv ic com pu ted -tom ograp hy scan s, ro u tine

scann ing of all pa tien ts w ith p elv ic-rin g in ju r ies is n o t

ju st i f ied .

References

1 . BU CHOLZ , R . W .: Th e Patho log ica l A na tom y of M a lga ign e F rac ture-D isloca tions o f th e Pelv is . J . B one and Join t Surg. . 63 -A: 400-404 . Mar ch

1981 .2. HOLD SWORTH , F . W .: D is loca tion and F ra ctu re-D is location of th e Pe lv is. J . Bone and Join t Surg. . 30-B (3 ): 461-4 66, 1948.

3 . HUNDLEY , J. M . : U nunite d U n stab le F racture s of the Pe lv is. In P roc eed in gs o f The Am er ican Academ y o f O rth opaed ic Su rgeon s. J . Bon e and

Jo in t Su rg . , 48 -A : 1 025 , Ju ly 1966 .

4 . LANGE , T . A . . an d A LTER , A . J. . JR . : Ev alu atio n o f Com p lex A cetabu lar F racture s by Com puted Tom ograph y . J. C om put. A ss ist. T om og . . 4:

849 -85 2 , 198 0 .

5. LAWSON , T . L .; FOLEY . W . D. ; CARRERA . G . F .; and BER LAND . L . L .: Th e Sacroilia c Jo in ts : Anatom ic, P la in Roentgen og rap h ic and Com pu ted

Tom ographic A nalysis. J . C om put. A ssis t. T om og. , 6 : 3 07 -31 4 . 19 82 .

6. P EN NA L , G . F .: T IL E , M ARV IN ; W ADDELL , J. P .; and GAR5 ID E , H EN RY : Pelv ic D isrup t ion : A sse ssm ent and C las sification . C lin . O r tho p .. 1 51 : 1 2-

2 1, 1 980.

7. SH IR KHO DA , A L l; B RA SHEAR , H . R . ; an d S TA A B . E . V . : C om pu ted Tom ography of A cetabu lar F ra ctu res . R ad iology , 1 34 : 683-688. 1 980.

8 . SLAT1 s. P . , an d HU ITTINEN , V .-M .: Doub le V ert ica l Fra ctu res of the P elv is. A R epor t on 163 P atien ts. A c ta C hir. S candinav ica , 138: 7 99 -807,

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9. T IL E, M ARV IN : Pe lv ic F racture s: O pe rative V e rsus N onop era tive T re atm en t. O r tho p . C lin . N o rth Am erica , 11 : 423-464 , 19 80 .