Pelvic ring injury and associated urologic trauma: an orthopaedic perspective

Pelvic ring trauma is frequently associated with damage to many organ systems, including the vascular, genitourinary, nervous, reproductive, and intestinal systems. The orthopaedic treatment of these patients must incorporate the presence of these injured soft tissue structures and the physicians who are knowledgeable in the care of these anatomic regions in treatment decision making. Improvement in the treatment of these patients has been based on progress in areas of interventional radiology, general surgery, urology, and orthopaedics. The purposes of this report are to define the natural history and the survival rate after a pelvic fracture or dislocation, as well as to present classification schemes used by the orthopaedic surgeon, define current controversies, and recommend treatment based on the pattern of injury to the pelvic ring.