• Neurosurgery · Jan 2009

    Case Reports

    U-shaped sacral fracture and lumbosacral dislocation as a result of a shotgun injury: case report.

    • Marcelo D Vilela, Mikhail Gelfenbeyn, and Carlo Bellabarba.
    • Department of Neurological Surgery, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104-2499, USA. mdvilela@u.washington.edu
    • Neurosurgery. 2009 Jan 1;64(1):E193-4; discussion E194.

    ObjectiveGunshot wounds to the spine and/or sacrum rarely cause spinal instability. Our goal is to report the first case of a U-shaped sacral fracture and lumbosacral dislocation caused by a gunshot injury to the spine.Clinical PresentationA 37-year-old man sustained a close-range shotgun wound to the abdomen. The blast partially destroyed the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and fractured the S1 and S2 segments of the spine, resulting in severe neurological deficits with lumbosacral and spinopelvic instability.InterventionDebridement of devitalized tissues, proper antibiotic coverage, decompression of the cauda equina, and lumbopelvic fixation.ConclusionClose-range shotgun injuries result in massive destruction of tissues. As opposed to civilian injuries, a different approach must be taken to prevent infectious complications. A bilateral lumbopelvic fixation using long iliac screws effectively restored lumbosacral pelvic stability.

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