Percutaneous Posterior Pelvic Fixation of Spinopelvic Dissociation: A Multicenter Series of Displaced Patterns

To characterize the success and complications of percutaneous posterior pelvic fixation in the treatment of displaced spinopelvic dissociation patterns.

Retrospective cohort study.

Three Level I trauma centers.

53 patients with displaced spinopelvic patterns were enrolled.

Percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation was used.

Main outcome measures include incidence of union, fixation failure, and soft tissue complications.

All patients had displaced, unstable patterns with a mean preoperative kyphosis of 29.7 ± 15.4 degrees (range, 0-70). Most of the patients treated were neurologically intact (72%) or had an unknown examination at the time of fixation (15%). The median follow-up was 254 days (interquartile range, 141-531). The union rate was 98%. Radiographic and clinical follow-up demonstrated 1 case (2%) of nonunion. Two patients (4%) had radiographic evidence of screw loosening at the final follow-up, both of whom had fixation with a single sacroiliac-style screw placed bilaterally and went on to uneventful union. Neurologic recovery occurred at an average of 195 ± 114 days (range, 82-363 days). When present, long-term neurologic sequelae most commonly consisted of radicular pain and paresthesias at the final follow-up (n = 3, 6%).

Percutaneous posterior pelvic fixation of select displaced spinopelvic dissociation seems to be safe with a low complication rate and reliable union. In a cohort of displaced fractures that were fixed in situ, we found a 2% rate of fixation failure/nonunion. Although rare, radicular pain and paresthesias were the most common long-term neurologic sequela.

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.