Pérez R M, Chana F R, Vaquero J M
Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid.
Acta Ortop Mex. 2010 Sep-Oct;24(5):306-11.
To determine the utility of 3D computed tomography for the preoperative planning of pelvic rim fractures assessing possible changes in fracture classification as well as in the surgical indication itself.
We retrospectively reviewed patients who had undergone surgery for complex pelvic fractures during a 15-month period. The mechanism of injury was recorded and the availability of a multi-slice spiral volumetric CT scan was requested as a preoperative study.
Ten cases (58%) were pelvic rim fractures and 7 were acetabular fractures. The mean ISS was 23.82 (9-50), and 82.3% of cases were severe traumas (ISS > 16). After the CT scan was obtained, the initial classification of the fracture was changed in four cases (23.5%), without any changes in the surgical indication. An artifact was detected in the volumetric reconstruction but it did not limit the surgeon's interpretation.
Tridimensional CT-based modeling is very helpful in the surgical planning of pelvic fractures and is a complement of the plain X-rays.