Are pelvic radiographs needed in assault victims?

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Radiology
• Trauma Medicine

Background:

• Assaults can cause significant physical trauma.
• Pelvic fractures are a concern in trauma patients.
• The necessity of pelvic imaging in assault victims requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of acute pelvic fractures in patients presenting after an assault.
• To assess the utility of routine pelvic radiography in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 357 consecutive patients with a history of assault over 12 months.
• Involved two musculoskeletal radiologists for image interpretation.
• Correlated findings with available pelvic CT scans for 276 patients.

Main Results:

• No acute pelvic fractures were identified in the reviewed patient cohort.
• Incidental findings included one 12th rib fracture and three lumbar spine transverse process fractures in two patients.
• The low incidence of pelvic fractures suggests limited diagnostic yield.

Conclusions:

• Routine pelvic radiography is not indicated for patients presenting with a history of assault.
• Focusing imaging resources on more probable injury patterns may be more efficient.
• This finding can help streamline trauma assessment protocols.