• Cory A Collinge and Brett D Crist.
• *Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, John Peter Smith Orthopedic Surgery Residency, Fort Worth, TX; and †Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
• J Orthop Trauma. 2016 Jun 1; 30 (6): e217-22.

AbstractOsteoporotic sacral fractures, including acute and chronic insufficiency fractures, are increasing in frequency and present a number of management problem. Many of these patients are treated nonoperatively with relative immobility (eg, bedrest, wheelchair, or weight-bearing restrictions) and analgesics, which likely make the osteoporotic component worse. Surgery in this patient population may be desirable in some cases with the goals of improving mobility, relieving pain, and healing in an aligned position while minimizing deformity progression. However, internal fixation of the osteoporotic pelvis can be difficult. Large unicortical lag screws are the workhorse of posterior pelvic fixation, and yet fixation in cancellous bone corridors of an osteoporotic sacrum seems unlikely to achieve optimal fixation. As a result, the operative management and clinical results of these difficult injuries may not be uniformly successful. The authors present a technique for treating osteoporotic patients with a sacral fracture when operative treatment is indicated using percutaneous screw fixation combined with screw augmentation using a resorbable calcium phosphate bone substitute or "cement." The guide wire for a 7.3-mm or other large cannulated lag screw is fully inserted along the desired bony sacral corridor as is standard. The lag screw is then inserted over the wire to the depth where cement is desired. The guide wire is removed, and the aqueous calcium phosphate is injected through the screw's cannulation. For acute fractures, cement was applied to the areas distant to the fracture; whereas in insufficiency fractures, the cement was inserted along most of the screw path. The guide wire then can be reinserted and the lag screw fully inserted. The rationale for using these 2 modalities is their synergistic effect: the cannulated screw provides typical screw fixation and also a conduit for cement application. The cement augments the lag screw's purchase in osteoporotic bone, enhancing fixation strength. The authors propose that combining percutaneous screw fixation with calcium phosphate augmentation may provide an improved biomechanical environment for healing of these difficult fractures that might translate into earlier mobility, better pain control, and improved outcomes.

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