Open AccessSmall bowel obstruction in percutaneous fixation of traumatic pelvic fractures
Author(s) -
Roberto Bini,
Fabrizio Quiriconi,
Tiziana Viora,
R Leli
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of emergencies, trauma and shock
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.313
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 0974-519X
pISSN - 0974-2700
DOI - 10.4103/0974-2700.115353
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , pelvic fracture , complication , laparotomy , percutaneous , entrapment , polytrauma , ileus , bowel obstruction , pelvic pain , external fixation , pelvis , external fixator
The use of external fixation for the initial treatment of unstable, complex pelvic injuries with hemodynamic instability remains an effective treatment for multiply injured patients. Bowel entrapment within a pelvic fracture is a rarely reported, potentially fatal complication. Here, we report a polytrauma patient with pelvic fractures who developed an intestinal obstruction after an external fixation. At an explorative laparotomy, we found an ileum segment trapped in the sacral fracture. Reported cases of bowel entrapment in pelvic fractures, especially in sacral fractures, are exceedingly rare. The diagnosis is often delayed due to difficulty distinguishing entrapment from the more common adynamic ileus. In conclusion, clinicians and radiologists should be aware of this potentially lethal complication of pelvic fractures treatment. To exclude bowel entrapment, patients with persistent ileus or sepsis should undergo early investigations.