Lumbopelvic fixation in the treatment of spinopelvic dissociation: union, complications, and neurologic outcomes of a multicenter case series.

PURPOSE: To review outcomes of spinopelvic dissociation treated with open lumbopelvic fixation. METHODS: We reviewed all cases of spinopelvic dissociation treated at three Level-I trauma centers with open lumbopelvic fixation, including those with adjunctive percutaneous fixation. We collected demographic data, associated injuries, pre- and postoperative neurologic status, pre- and postoperative kyphosis, and Roy-Camille classification. Outcomes included presence of union, reoperation rates, and complications involving hardware or wound. RESULTS: From an initial cohort of 260 patients with spinopelvic dissociation, forty patients fulfilled inclusion criteria with a median follow-up of 351 days. Ten patients (25%) had a combination of percutaneous iliosacral and open lumbopelvic repair. Average pre- and postoperative kyphosis was 30 degrees and 26 degrees, respectively. Twenty patients (50%) had neurologic deficit preoperatively, and eight (20%) were unknown or unable to be assessed. All patients presenting with bowel or bladder dysfunction (n = 12) underwent laminectomy at time of surgery, with 3 patients (25%) having continued dysfunction at final follow-up. Surgical site infection occurred in four cases (10%) and wound complications in two (5%). All cases (100%) went on to union and five patients (13%) required hardware removal. CONCLUSION: Open lumbopelvic fixation resulted in a high union rate in the treatment of spinopelvic dissociation. Approximately 1 in 6 patients had a wound complication, the majority of which were surgical site infections. Bowel and bladder dysfunction at presentation were common with the majority of cases resolving by final follow-up when spinopelvic dissociation had been treated with decompression and stable fixation.

Iatrogenic Sciatic Nerve Injury in Posterior Acetabular Surgery: Surgeon More Predictive Than Position.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors that contribute to iatrogenic sciatic nerve palsy during acetabular surgery through a Kocher-Langenbeck approach and to evaluate if variation among individual surgeons exists. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Level I trauma center. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: Adults undergoing fixation of acetabular fractures (AO/OTA 62) through a posterior approach by 9 orthopaedic traumatologists between November 2010 and November 2022. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: The prevalence of iatrogenic sciatic nerve palsy and comparison of the prevalence and risk of palsy between prone and lateral positions before and after adjusting for individual surgeon and the presence of transverse fracture patterns in logistic regression. Comparison of the prevalence of palsy between high-volume (>1 patient/month) and low-volume surgeons. RESULTS: A total of 644 acetabular fractures repaired through a posterior approach were included (median age 39 years, 72% male). Twenty of 644 surgeries (3.1%) resulted in iatrogenic sciatic nerve palsy with no significant difference between the prone (3.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9%-4.9%) and lateral (3.3%, 95% CI, 1.3%-8.1%) positions (P = 0.64). Logistic regression adjusting for surgeon and transverse fracture pattern demonstrated no significant effect for positions (odds ratio 1.0, 95% CI, 0.3-3.9). Transverse fracture pattern was associated with increased palsy risk (odds ratio 3.0, 95% CI, 1.1-7.9). Individual surgeon was significantly associated with iatrogenic palsy (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Surgeon and the presence of a transverse fracture line predicted iatrogenic nerve palsy after a posterior approach to the acetabulum in this single-center cohort. Surgeons should perform the Kocher-Langenbeck approach for acetabular fixation in the position they deem most appropriate, as the position was not associated with the rate of iatrogenic palsy in this series. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Management of Femoral and Tibial Shaft Fractures in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To compare outcomes and complications between non-operative and operative management of femur and tibia fractures in patients with paraplegia or quadriplegia from chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: Design: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Three Level-1 Trauma centers. PATIENT SELECTION CRITERIA: All adult patients with paraplegia or quadriplegia due to a chronic SCI with operative or nonoperative treatment of a femoral or tibial shaft fracture from 01/01/2009 through 12/31/2019 were included. OUTCOME MEASURES AND COMPARISONS: Outcomes collected included range of motion, pain, return to baseline activity, extent of malunion and treatment complications (infection, pressure ulcers, nonunion, DVT/PE, stroke, amputation, death). Comparison between operative and nonoperative treatment were made for each outcome. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients with acute lower extremity fracture in the setting of chronic SCI fulfilled inclusion criteria with a median age of 46 years in the operative group and 47 years in the non-operative group. Twelve patients (70.6%) in the nonoperative group were male with 32 (76.2%) male patients in the operative group. Forty-six patients (78%) presented as low energy trauma. Differences were seen between operative and non-operative management for pressure ulcers (19% vs 52.9%, p=0.009) and mean VAS pain score at first follow-up (1.19 vs 3.3, p=0.03). No difference was seen for rates of infection, nonunion, DVT/PE, stroke, amputation, death, return to baseline activity, and range of motion. CONCLUSIONS: Tibial and femoral shaft fractures commonly resulted from low energy mechanisms in patients with chronic SCI. Operative treatment seemed to decrease morbidity in these patients via lowered rates of pressure ulcers and decreased pain compared to non-operative management. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Non-osseous considerations in diagnostic imaging for pelvic and acetabular trauma.

High-quality imaging is crucial for orthopedic traumatologists in the evaluation and management of pelvic and acetabular fractures. Computed tomography (CT) plays an essential role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with these complex injuries. A thoughtful evaluation of associated soft tissues can reveal additional details about the patient and their injury that may impact treatment. This review aims to highlight soft tissue findings that should be identified when evaluating the initial diagnostic imaging after pelvic and acetabular trauma.

Spontaneous Unilateral Chiari I Secondary to Acquired Tonsillar Hypertrophy/Pseudomass With Syringomyelia in a Juvenile With Progressive Scoliosis.

Chiari type 1 malformation (CM-1) is a structural defect of the central nervous system in which part of the cerebellar tonsils descend below the level of the foramen magnum, sometimes with associated syringomyelia. Although Chiari malformations were traditionally believed to be congenital, several cases of acquired CM-1 with syringomyelia have been reported. Usually associated with repeat lumbar puncture, increased intracranial pressure, and craniocephalic disproportion, CM-1 in the absence of an underlying etiology is rare. We report a rare case of spontaneous idiopathic tonsillar hypertrophy causing unilateral CM-1 with syringomyelia associated with progressive scoliosis in a juvenile with a previously normal neonatal MRI brain and no known underlying pathology. A 9-year-old boy was found to have scoliosis at a routine well-child visit with progression indicated on radiographs 4 months later. Whole spine MRI was performed and showed a new CM-1 with globular, mass-like configuration of the descended right tonsil with otherwise normal tonsillar characteristics. Surgical decompression via suboccipital craniectomy and C1 laminectomy with duraplasty was performed with improvement illustrated on repeat MRI 3 months postoperatively. This rare case emphasizes the importance of routine MRI spine early in select patients with idiopathic scoliosis and illustrates the favorable outcomes noted after decompressive craniectomy.

Neurologic injury after spinopelvic dissociation: Incidence, outcome, and predictors.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic spinopelvic dissociation is a rare injury pattern resulting in discontinuity between the spine and bony pelvis. This injury is associated with a known risk of neurologic compromise which can impact the clinical outcome of these patients. We sought to determine incidence and characteristics of neurologic injury, outcomes following treatment, and predictive factors for neurologic recovery. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical documentation and imaging of 270 patients with spinopelvic dissociation from three Level-1 trauma centers treated over a 20-year period. From this cohort, 137 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria with appropriate follow-up. Details surrounding patient presentation, incidence of neurologic injury, and outcome variables were collected for each injury. Neurologic injuries were categorized using the Gibbons criteria. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess for patient and injury factors predictive of neurologic injury and recovery. RESULTS: The overall incidence of neurologic injury in spinopelvic dissociation injuries was 33% (45/137), with bowel and/or bladder dysfunction (n=16) being the most common presentation. Complete neurologic recovery was seen in 26 cases (58%) and two patients (4%) improved at least one Gibbon stage in clinical follow-up. The most common long-term neurologic sequela at final follow-up was radiculopathy (n=12, 9%). Increased kyphosis was found to be associated with neurologic injury (p=0.002), while location of transverse limb and Roy-Camille type were not predictive of neurologic injury (p=0.31 and p=0.07, respectively). There were no factors found to be predictive of neurologic recovery in this cohort. CONCLUSION: Neurologic injury is commonly seen in patients with spinopelvic dissociation and complete neurologic recovery was seen in the majority of patients at final follow-up. When present, long term neurologic dysfunction is most commonly characterized by radiculopathy. While increasing kyphosis was shown to be associated with neurologic injury, no patient or injury factors were predictive of neurologic recovery.