Anterior lumbar‒iliac fixation for unstable pelvic fractures: a novel surgical technique

The treatment of unstable pelvic fractures is a great challenge for surgeons. Traditional steel plate fixation and sacroiliac screw fixation are not sufficient to provide longitudinal support. At present, surgical lumbar‒iliac fixation is a reliable fixation technique. However, conventional lumbar‒iliac fixation surgery often involves the use of a posterior approach for surgery, which cannot observe fracture displacement and has the risk of poor surgical incision healing. In many cases, such unstable pelvic fractures also involve the fixation of iliac or pubic fractures. Under these circumstances, an additional anterior surgical incision is needed. This operation prolongs the operative time and increases the amount of bleeding. To solve the above problems, we first used a new surgical method, anterior lumbar-iliac fixation surgery, which was used to reduce and fix posterior pelvic ring unstable fractures. Iliac and pubic fractures were treated at the same time if needed. During the operation, the patient does not need to change position. Finally, the postoperative outcome of the patient was satisfactory. We hope that anterior lumbar-iliac fixation can improve the incidence of unstable pelvic fractures and reduce complications.