[Incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to high energy trauma]. / Incidencia de fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo en el adulto mayor por trauma de alta energía.

INTRODUCTION: as the population pyramid gets inverted, more active and longer lives are lived, geriatric patients with high energy trauma (HET) become more frequent; requiring more resources, getting worse results with more perioperative complications, coupled with a fragile state of health and osteopenia, make these fractures difficult to manage. With the hypothesis that the incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to HET is higher than that reported in the world literature, the research question was generated: What is the incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to HET, in a 5-year period? MATERIAL AND METHODS: with the authorization of the Ethics Committee, an observational study of a retrospective cohort was carried out, using medical records, identifying the incidence of these fractures, surgically treated in our institution Clínica Las Vegas, Medellin, Colombia, a level III hospital, from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2021. RESULTS: a cumulative incidence of 1.95 new cases per 100,000 person-years was calculated, a prevalence of 13.8%; resulting in a higher incidence and prevalence, confirming our hypothesis. CONCLUSION: treatment should be aimed at improving quality of life with stable fixation, identification and treatment of associated injuries, minimizing the risk of mechanical complications and prioritizing the reinforcement of preventive measures, also in the improvement of male role behavior, whom, as it seems, will keep carrying out risky activities despite their age.

INTRODUCCIÓN: a medida que se invierte la pirámide poblacional, se viven vidas más largas y activas, se vuelven más frecuentes los pacientes geriátricos con trauma de alta energía; requiriendo más recursos, obteniéndose peores resultados, con más complicaciones perioperatorias, hacen a estas fracturas difíciles de manejar. Establecida la hipótesis de que la incidencia de las fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo, en el adulto mayor por trauma de alta energía, es superior a la reportada en la literatura mundial, se generó la pregunta de investigación: ¿Cuál es la incidencia de fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo por trauma de alta energía en el adulto mayor en un período de cinco años? MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: una vez obtenida la autorización del Comité de Ética, se realizó un estudio observacional de una cohorte retrospectiva, utilizando registros médicos, identificando la incidencia de estas fracturas, tratadas quirúrgicamente en nuestro hospital de III nivel, Clínica Las Vegas, Medellín, Colombia, del 1 de Julio de 2016 a 30 de Junio de 2021. RESULTADOS: se calculó una incidencia acumulada de 1.95 nuevos casos por cada 100,000 personas-año, una prevalencia de 13.8%; resultando en una mayor incidencia y prevalencia, confirmándose nuestra hipótesis. CONCLUSIÓN: el tratamiento debe orientarse a mejorar la calidad de vida con una fijación estable, identificación y tratamiento de lesiones asociadas, minimizando el riesgo de complicaciones mecánicas y priorizar el reforzamiento de medidas preventivas y a la mejora del comportamiento del rol masculino, que aparentemente, seguirán realizando actividades de riesgo a pesar de su edad.

Diagnostic accuracy of MRI for detection of occult instability of type I anterior to posterior pelvic injuries.

Type I Young and Burgess anterior posterior compression (APC) pelvic injuries have been classically managed non operatively due to theoretical integrity of sacroiliac joint ligaments (SIJL), though examination under anesthesia (EUA) has been proven occult mechanical instability in up to 50% of these injuries.  We sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance (MRI) for detection of occult instability on APC-I injuries when compared to EUA. METHODS: Diagnostic test study of prospectively recruited patients admitted with APC-I pelvic injuries between 2015 and 2022. All patients consented to participate in this study were subjected to MRI and EUA. The evaluators of each of these tests were blinded.  On MRI evaluation, SIJL were considered compromised when unilateral injury to anterior SIJL was visualized in three or more consecutive images or in bilateral injuries, when injury to the anterior SIJL in two or more consecutive images on each side was observed. Positive EUA was considered a symphyseal diastasis over 25 mm on stress fluoroscopy. Demographic data was collected as recruited and sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Confidence interval was set at 95%. EUA was considered the gold standard in statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 32 patients mean aged 36 (24-61) years were included. Mean symphyseal diastasis at admission was 17.58 (11 - 25) mm. The median time from injury to EUA was 5 (0-21) days. Positive EUA was observed on 20 patients and 25 patients  presented compromised SIJL. MRI presented a sensitivity of 95% (75.13% - 99.87%), specificity of 50% (21.09% - 78.91%), positive-predictive value of 73% (60.61% to 82.93%), negative-predictive value of 87% (48.66% - 98.08%). CONCLUSION: Injury to SIJL on MRI presented an accuracy of 77% (58.29% - 89.64%) for the detection of occult pelvic instability on EUA.

Incidencia de fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo en el adulto mayor por trauma de alta energía / Incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to high energy trauma

Resumen: Introducción: a medida que se invierte la pirámide poblacional, se viven vidas más largas y activas, se vuelven más frecuentes los pacientes geriátricos con trauma de alta energía; requiriendo más recursos, obteniéndose peores resultados, con más complicaciones perioperatorias, hacen a estas fracturas difíciles de manejar. Establecida la hipótesis de que la incidencia de las fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo, en el adulto mayor por trauma de alta energía, es superior a la reportada en la literatura mundial, se generó la pregunta de investigación: ¿Cuál es la incidencia de fracturas de pelvis y acetábulo por trauma de alta energía en el adulto mayor en un período de cinco años? Material y métodos: una vez obtenida la autorización del Comité de Ética, se realizó un estudio observacional de una cohorte retrospectiva, utilizando registros médicos, identificando la incidencia de estas fracturas, tratadas quirúrgicamente en nuestro hospital de III nivel, Clínica Las Vegas, Medellín, Colombia, del 1 de Julio de 2016 a 30 de Junio de 2021. Resultados: se calculó una incidencia acumulada de 1.95 nuevos casos por cada 100,000 personas-año, una prevalencia de 13.8%; resultando en una mayor incidencia y prevalencia, confirmándose nuestra hipótesis. Conclusión: el tratamiento debe orientarse a mejorar la calidad de vida con una fijación estable, identificación y tratamiento de lesiones asociadas, minimizando el riesgo de complicaciones mecánicas y priorizar el reforzamiento de medidas preventivas y a la mejora del comportamiento del rol masculino, que aparentemente, seguirán realizando actividades de riesgo a pesar de su edad.

Abstract: Introduction: as the population pyramid gets inverted, more active and longer lives are lived, geriatric patients with high energy trauma (HET) become more frequent; requiring more resources, getting worse results with more perioperative complications, coupled with a fragile state of health and osteopenia, make these fractures difficult to manage. With the hypothesis that the incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to HET is higher than that reported in the world literature, the research question was generated: What is the incidence of pelvic and acetabular fractures in the elderly due to HET, in a 5-year period? Material and methods: with the authorization of the Ethics Committee, an observational study of a retrospective cohort was carried out, using medical records, identifying the incidence of these fractures, surgically treated in our institution Clínica Las Vegas, Medellin, Colombia, a level III hospital, from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2021. Results: a cumulative incidence of 1.95 new cases per 100,000 person-years was calculated, a prevalence of 13.8%; resulting in a higher incidence and prevalence, confirming our hypothesis. Conclusion: treatment should be aimed at improving quality of life with stable fixation, identification and treatment of associated injuries, minimizing the risk of mechanical complications and prioritizing the reinforcement of preventive measures, also in the improvement of male role behavior, whom, as it seems, will keep carrying out risky activities despite their age.

The role of anterior supra-acetabular external fixator as definitive treatment for anterior ring fixation in unstable pelvic fractures.

PURPOSE: Management of anterior ring injuries is still a matter of discussion, and there are only few studies reporting anterior external fixator as definitive treatment for unstable pelvic injuries. This study aimed to describe the clinical and radiological outcomes of a consecutive series of mechanically unstable pelvic injuries that were treated with definitive anterior supra-acetabular external fixator for the anterior ring, and to identify risk factors for failure. METHODS: We included a consecutive series of patients with unstable pelvic ring fractures who underwent anterior supra-acetabular external fixation for definitive treatment, between January 2012 and January 2020. All demographics, associated injuries and procedures, injury mechanism, and complications were analysed. Pelvic fracture was classified based on Orthopaedic Trauma Association/Tile AO (OTA/AO) and Young-Burgess classifications. Complications associated with the external fixator were revised. All patients were functionally evaluated at final follow-up and asked to report their clinical outcomes using the Majeed score. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were included, of which 25 were females. The median age was 44 years (interquartile range 23-59). Median follow-up duration was 14 months (interquartile range 6-31). The most frequent aetiology was motor vehicle accident (35), followed by fall from height (8). All fractures required posterior pelvic ring fixation. The median time during which patients had external fixation in situ was 11 weeks (interquartile range 9-13). All patients achieved healing of pelvic fracture at median time of 10 weeks (interquartile range 8-12). At final follow-up, the median displacement of the anterior pelvis was 6 mm (interquartile range 0-11). Superficial infection was the most common complication (n = 7). No washout procedures were needed. No major complication was reported. No patient required reoperation for anterior ring fracture. The median Majeed score was 88 points (range 60-95; interquartile range 80-90) at final follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the use of supra-acetabular external fixator is safe and effective for definitive treatment of the anterior ring in unstable pelvic fractures. It is a method with high proportion of excellent results, regardless of the type of fracture. The rate of complications is low, and it does not compromise functional results.

Pelvic fractures and changes in bone mineral density after radiotherapy for cervical, endometrial, and vaginal cancer: A prospective study of 239 women.

BACKGROUND: Advances in radiotherapy (RT) have led to improved oncologic outcomes for women with gynecologic cancers; however, the long-term effects and survivorship implications need further evaluation. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of pelvic fractures and changes in bone mineral density (BMD) after pelvic RT. METHODS: Two hundred thirty-nine women who had pelvic RT for cervical, endometrial, or vaginal cancer between 2008 and 2015 were prospectively studied. BMD scans and biomarkers of bone turnover were obtained at the baseline and 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years after RT. Imaging studies were assessed for pelvic fractures for up to 5 years. Patients with osteopenia, osteoporosis, or pelvic fractures at any point were referred to the endocrinology service for evaluation and treatment. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 51 years; 132 patients (56%) were menopausal. The primary diagnoses were cervical (63.6%), endometrial (30.5%), and vaginal cancer (5.9%). Sixteen patients (7.8%; 95% confidence interval, 4.5%-12.4%) had pelvic fractures with actuarial rates of 3.6%, 12.7%, and 15.7% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Fractures were associated with baseline osteoporosis (P < .001), higher baseline bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (P < .001), and older age (P = .007). The proportion of patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis increased from 50% at the baseline to 58%, 59%, and 70% at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of women had significant decreases in BMD after pelvic RT, with 7.8% diagnosed with a pelvic fracture. BMD screening and pharmacologic intervention should be strongly considered for these high-risk women.

Diagnosis, Risk Factors, and Management of Sacral and Pelvic Fractures After Instrumented Lumbar Fusions: A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic literature review. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate risk factors, diagnosis, and management of sacral and pelvic fractures (SPFs) after instrumented fusions. METHODS: A systematic review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines was performed using the PubMed database. Articles with patients with an SPF after a lumbar instrumented fusion were included. The articles addressing specifically proximal junctional kyphosis were excluded. Eleven small cases series (level of evidence IV) were reviewed. RESULTS: The incidence of SPF was 1.86% in one study. The risk factors reported were elderly patients, multilevel surgery, long fusions stopping at L5 or S1 instead of the ilium, osteoporosis, obesity, and sagittal imbalance. Computed tomography scan was the preferential image modality for diagnosing. Nonsurgical treatment may be used in patients with tolerable pain and nondisplaced fracture. Persistent pain was an indication for surgery, as well as fracture displacement. The most common surgical treatment reported was an extension of the fusion to the iliac using iliac screws. CONCLUSION: SPFs after lumbar instrumented fusion are rare but clinically meaningful complications. The risk factors, diagnosis, and management of SPFs are described in our review.