Doppler ultrasound assessment of the stability of pelvicring in lateral-compression-1 pelvic fracture: a preliminary study

Abstract

Objective To explore the application of Doppler ultrasound to assess the stability of pelvic ring in treatment of lateral-compression-1 (LC-1) pelvic fractures. Methods For this prospective study 38 patients with LC-1 pelvic fracture were enrolled who had been admitted to the Department of Orthopedic Trauma, Honghui Hospital from July 2016 to November 2017. They were 22 men and 16 women with an age of 55.2±16.1 years. After the patient's condition was stable, they underwent a Doppler ultrasound examination in the pelvic compression separation test. According to the criteria preset: those with a left-right mobility ≥ 0.3 cm were assigned as an unstable group (16 cases) and those with a mobility<0.3 cm as a stable group (22 cases). The stable group received conservative treatment while the unstable group surgical treatment. The 2 groups were compared in terms of mobility of fracture ends, follow-up time, weight-bearing time, fracture healing time, and the Majeed scores of pelvic function at the last follow-up. Results The 2 groups were compatible due to their insignificant differences in baseline data(P>0.05). The mobility of fracture ends (left-right distance: 0.45±0.22 cm; anterior-posterior distance: 0.26±0.16 cm; oblique distance: 0.50±0.23 cm) in the unstable group was all significantly greater than in the stable group (left-right distance: 0.11±0.03 cm; anterior-posterior distance: 0.05±0.04 cm; oblique distance: 0.11±0.07 cm) (P 0.05). Conclusions Since ultrasonography is helpful in assessment of the stability of LC-1 pelvic fractures, a proper treatment strategy can be decided. Stable ones can be treated conservatively and unstable ones surgically. Key words: Pelvis; Fractures, bone; Lateral compression; Ultrasonography, doppler; Stability