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Open Book Fracture
Open Book Fracture
Journal of Orthopaedics
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jor
Review article
Management of the open book APC II pelvis: Survey results from pelvic
and acetabular surgeons in the United Kingdom
James R. Gill* , Colin Murphy, Ben Quansah, Andrew Carrothers
Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Cambridge University Hospitals, Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge, United Kingdom
A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T
Article history:
Received 12 June 2017 The results of this questionnaire show that the opinion of pelvic and acetabular surgeons in the UK and
Accepted 6 August 2017 Republic of Ireland vary as to the best method of fixation for APC II pelvic injuries. A single anterior plate
Available online 9 August 2017 and single sacroiliac joint (SIJ) screw was the most popular fixation method, chosen by 34%. 74% favour a
single, opposed to two orthogonal anterior plates. Posterior fixation supplementing anterior plating is
Keywords: preferred by 63% of surgeons, 58% use a single versus 42% two SIJ screws. Case by case assessment and
Open book pelvis intraoperative screening to assess stability is essential when considering whether to stabilise the SIJ.
APC II © 2017 Prof. PK Surendran Memorial Education Foundation. Published by Elsevier, a division of RELX
Tile B1
India, Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pubic symphysis diastasis
Anterior plating
Orthogonal double plating
Sacroiliac joint screw
Symphyseal plating
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jor.2017.08.004
0972-978X/© 2017 Prof. PK Surendran Memorial Education Foundation. Published by Elsevier, a division of RELX India, Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
J.R. Gill et al. / Journal of OrthopaedicsJ Orthop. 14 (2017) 530–536 531
Graph 1. Responses to question 1. Number of pelvic injuries treated per year by each survey respondent.
Graph 2. Responses to question 2. Preferred operative management for the described injury.
screw while 42% prefer two SIJ screws. Surgeons which use two weeks post operatively [Graph 4]. See Table 1 for a full breakdown
orthogonal anterior plates are less likely to stabilise the posterior of the results.
pelvis compared to those that use a single anterior plate; 50%
versus 68%. 95% of respondents preferred standard plates over 4. Discussion
locking plates for the pubic symphysis. 20% of surgeons report
using locking plates in non-locking mode. Regarding weight The results of this questionnaire show that opinion is divided
bearing status on the affected side immediately post operatively amongst consultants who have a specialist interest in pelvic and
11% of surgeons allow full weight bearing, 46% partial weight acetabular trauma regarding a number of facets of the manage-
bearing and 43% non-weight bearing [Graph 3]. There was no ment of APC II pelvic injuries. There is lack of consensus on type of
correlation between early full weight bearing and chosen method fixation and post-operative weight bearing status. This is due to a
of fixation. When asked the time frame until full weight bearing is paucity of high level evidence to guide decision making. Much of
permitted on the affected side; 10.8% allow full weight bearing the evidence comes from biomechanical studies often with
within 0–4 weeks, 29.7% within 4–8 weeks and 59.5% within 8–12 conflicting results and relatively small case series which include
J.R. Gill et al. / Journal of OrthopaedicsJ Orthop. 14 (2017) 530–536 533
Graph 3. Responses to question 5. Weight bearing status on the affected side immediately post-operatively.
Graph 4. Responses to question 6. Time frame until full weight bearing status allowed on the affected side?.
a spectrum of pelvic injuries. Reasons for the lack of evidence limited evidence to suggest there is benefit to using one compared
include relative low frequency with which any specific type of to two orthogonal symphyseal plates. Numerous authors have
pelvic injury occurs and evolving surgical techniques and implants. conducted case series which suggest that stabilisation of pubic
Key areas of debate highlighted by the survey include the use of a symphysis diastasis is satisfactorily performed with a single
single anterior plate versus two orthogonal anterior plates and anterior plate. 10,15–17, 27,7,8 The results of biomechanical studies
whether posterior stabilisation with a SIJ screw is necessary. vary in their conclusions regarding the use of orthogonal double
plating. Biomechanical studies conducted by MacAvoy et al. 28 and
4.1. Single anterior plate versus two orthogonal anterior plates Simonian et al.29 showed no significant difference in the stability of
fixation of simulated open book pelvis fractures fixed with a single
The survey showed there was a preference for fixation with a versus two perpendicular anterior plates whereas Ponson et al.30
single anterior plate versus two orthogonal anterior plates. There is showed that orthogonal double plating increased stiffness of
534 J.R. Gill et al. / Journal of OrthopaedicsJ Orthop. 14 (2017) 530–536
Table 1
Responses to questionnaire.
1. How many pelvic fractures are you responsible for treating each year?
a. 1–5 3
b. 6–10 1
c. 11–15 6
d. 16–20 3
e. >20 25
Total number of responses to question 1 38
Percentage response to question 1 100%
2. What would be your preferred operative management for the described injury?
a. Single anterior superior plate 9
b. Orthogonal double plate 5
c. Single anterior plate and sacroiliac joint screw fixation (one screw) 13
d. Single anterior plate and sacroiliac joint screw fixation (two screws) 6
e. Orthogonal double plating and sacroiliac joint screw fixation (one screw) 1
f. Orthogonal double plating and sacroiliac joint screw fixation (two screws) 4
Total number of responses to question 2 38
Percentage response to question 2 100%
5. Regarding weight bearing status immediately post operatively (on the affected side), would you typically allow?
a. Full weight bearing 4
b. Partial weight bearing 16
c. Non weight bearing 15
Total number of responses to question 5 35
Percentage response to question 5 92.1%
6. Please indicate the time frame until full weight bearing status allowed on the affected side?
a. 0–4 weeks 4
b. 4–8 weeks 11
c. 8–12 weeks 22
Total number of responses to question 6 37
Percentage response to question 6 97.4%
fixation in a simulated Tile C1 pelvic model. The theoretical pelvis injuries whose fixation included fixation of the posterior
disadvantage of double plating is increased soft tissue stripping. In pelvis with a SIJ screw. Neither Morris 18 nor Van de Bosch 35 (Van
a case series by Putnis et al. use of single versus two orthogonal den Bosch EW & Van der Kleyn R, 1999) were able to show an
anterior plates was dictated by persistent intra-operative instabil- advantage to using posterior stabilisation. Morris et al. 18 found
ity after single plating and poor bone quality. 31 that rate of anterior fixation failure was not related to the presence
or absence of posterior fixation. Van de Bosch et al. 35 reported no
4.2. Posterior stabilisation with SIJ screws difference in functional outcome between patients treated with
combined anterior and posterior internal fixation and those
There is long standing controversy regarding whether APC II treated with anterior fixation alone. Putnis et al. advocate posterior
pelvic injuries require stabilisation of the posterior pelvis in fixation if there is >1 mm of SIJ displacement.31 Of the surgeons
addition to internal fixation of the pubic symphysis, this is which use SIJ screws 58% prefer a single SIJ screw. There is little in
reflected in lack of consensus in survey respondents. 63% of the literature to guide surgeons on this, the only literature
responders use SIJ screws with this pattern of injury. A number of identified that addresses the use of one versus two SIJ screws
cadaveric biomechanical studies have been conducted which both relates to unstable pelvic injuries opposed to the partially stable
support and refute the use of posterior pelvis stabilisation. Van de APC II injury which the questionnaire in this publication pertains
Bosch et al. concluded “the addition of a single sacroiliac screw in a to. In a case series of unstable Tile B and C pelvic injuries analyzed
Tile B1 fracture did not provide significant additional rotational or by Khaled et al. 36 no difference in functional outcome was
translational stability”, 32 In contrast in separate studies Simonian identified with the addition of a second SIJ screw. A number of
et al. 33 and Dujardin et al. 34 both concluded that anterior plate biomechanical studies have looked at the use of different
fixation of the pubis symphysis alone did not significantly modify configurations of SIJ screws. Zhang et al. 37 created finite element
SIJ motion whereas with SIJ screws, SIJ motion was significantly models of unstable Tile type B and C pelvic injuries and concluded
reduced, in the case of Simonian with one and Dujardin with two the use of a single S1 screw should be adequate for a type B
SIJ screws. A number of authors have published results of dislocation. Sagi et al. 12 conducted a cadaveric biomechanical
retrospective case series of patients who sustained open book study simulating a vertically unstable APC III pelvic injury and
J.R. Gill et al. / Journal of OrthopaedicsJ Orthop. 14 (2017) 530–536 535
concluded that once an S1 SIJ screw had been properly placed there responded, despite great care being taken to contact all pelvic and
was no additional benefit to supplementary SIJ screws. Pelvic and acetabular surgeons in the UK and ROI there is no society or
acetabular surgeons are mindful of the potential risks associated register so some will undoubtedly have not received the survey.
with SIJ screws. These complications are well described, and
potentially extremely serious, 7,38–43 and the judicious use of SIJ 5. Conclusions
screws among responders may reflect the surgeons assessment of
risks and benefits for this particular injury in the specific case The results of this questionnaire provide a snapshot of the
presented. current practice of pelvic and acetabular surgeons in the UK and
The ideal method of stabilising the pubic symphysis may not ROI and shows that consensus is varied for the best method of
just be a case of which construct provides the most stable fixation. definitive fixation and post-operative weight bearing regimen for
Collinge et al.44 conducted a retrospective review of Tile B and C an APC II pelvic injury. Classification of pelvic injuries is not always
pelvic injuries treated with anterior plating with or without straightforward and therefore as suggested by a number of survey
posterior fixation. There was a high incidence of failure of fixation respondents and advocated by the senior author, case by case
which resulted in pubic symphyseal space widening, yet only one assessment and intraoperative screening to assess stability is
case required revision surgery. Collinge et al. question whether essential when considering whether to stabilise the SIJ. Bio-
fixation failure may represent return to more physiological motion mechanical and clinical studies are required to assess single versus
at the pubic symphysis. two orthogonal plate pubic symphysis constructs and anterior
plating versus anterior plating with posterior stabilisation in APC II
4.3. Locking plates versus standard plates pelvic injuries.
Standard plates were favoured over locking plates by 95% of Conflict of interest
respondents. As yet there is no evidence to support the use of
locking plate fixation of the symphysis pubis diastasis. Moed None.
et al.,45 Daily et al.17 and Prasarn et al.16 all conducted separate
biomechanical studies comparing locking plates to non-locking Acknowledgements
plates for symphysis pubis diastasis fixation and none found a
significant difference in stability. Moed et al. also published a The authors would like to thank all the surgeons who
report of 6 cases of locking plate failure for fixation of the pubic participated in this survey and made this study possible.
symphysis.45 In contrast to this Hamad et al. published a case series
of 11 occurrences of pubic symphysis diastasis fixed with locking References
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