Complex sacral fracture

• Author(s): Alves, JL ; Duarte, N ; Rocha, A ; Frade, MJ
• Date: 2013
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.4/1587
• Origin: Repositório do Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra
• Subject(s): Sacro; Fracturas da Coluna Vertebral
• Document Type: Article
• Language: English

Description

We reported a case of a patient with suspected cauda equina syndrome secondary to sacral fracture, after sustaining a fall. The difficulty in early diagnosis of complex sacral fractures and the lack of clearly defined guidelines for treatment are highlighted. Thorough clinical examination is mandatory, in order to make an adequate initial assessment and follow symptoms progression and response to treatment. The threshold for performing CT imaging (or MRI, if advised), when suspecting sacral fracture and neurological compromise, should be low. A multidisciplinary approach, with contributions from orthopaedic and/or neurosurgical surgery and physiatry, should be the gold standard of treatment. In this particular case, conservative management and close follow-up led to a significant improvement of problems and a good final outcome, showing that surgical decompression is not the only valid option and that further prospective studies are needed, regarding patient selection and timing of intervention.