Diagnosis, surgical and conservative treatment of unstable sacral fractures (literature review)

Background. In the structure of severe combined trauma, injuries to the pelvic bones, especially the sacrum, are relatively rare but increase steadily with the scientific and technological progress and the urbanization. Despite the widespread use of modern diagnostic methods, such as computer and magnetic resonance imaging, and the ubiquity of X‑ray diagnostics, sacral fractures are diagnosed not in all patients or not in full. In 50 % of patients, sacral fractures are not diagnosed during the initial examination, including anteroposterior X‑ray examination. In addition, in 30 % of the patients, sacral fractures are recognized on a pelvic X‑ray film incorrectly, and the long‑term outcomes of their treatment are unsatisfactory from 30 to 60 % of the cases.Aim. To analyze scientific published sources on the issues of diagnosis, clinical picture, and treatment of patients with severe combined trauma and unstable sacral fractures.Materials and methods. The data of 232 domestic and foreign publications from 1971 to 2020. We present the epidemiology of combined trauma and unstable sacral fractures, consider various classifications, and describe the clinical course and tactics in conservative and surgical treatment of vertically unstable fractures in the posterior pelvic ring.Results. Many foreign publications describe both diagnostics and various methods of treatment for unstable pelvic ring injuries. The publications cover various aspects of diagnosis, clinical course, management tactics, extent and timing of surgery, and conservative treatment for sacral fractures. However, only a few publications in Russian discuss features of diagnostic search, the timing and extent of surgery, as well as the choice of the final tactics to treat patients with sacral fractures.Conclusions. It is necessary to study the problem of diagnosis and treatment of severe combined trauma and vertically unstable fractures of the posterior pelvic ring to develop optimal diagnostic algorithms and final treatment tactics aimed at reduction of the frequency of errors, complications, and deaths, and at improvement in the quality of life of such patients.