Aim: To present the personal experience in assessing the treatment of pubic disjunction in Young-Burguess type II and III pelvic ring fractures.
Material and methods: Included in the study were 30 patients with type II and III pelvic ring fractures, aged 32 to 76 years. Of these, 18 patients were treated with external fixation, and 12 patients were treated surgically: type II fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of pubic disjunction and type III fractures underwent additionally posterior fixation.
Results: Mean follow-up was 1.6 years. After external fixation we found the persistence of diastasis (1.5 to 4 cm), which was asymptomatic in all cases. Complications included implant failure in 3 patients, and postoperative infection in 2 patients. Among the 5 patients with type II lesions the clinical and radiological scores were excellent in 3, good in 1, and poor in 1. Among the patients with type III lesions the clinical outcomes were excellent in 5 and good in 2.
Conclusions: External fixation has proved a good treatment option for patients who cannot tolerate a more extensive surgery. There is no conclusive clinical evidence favoring the use of two perpendicular plates vs. 1 plate for pubic symphysis fixation. In osteonorotic patients the use of 2 plates is recommended.