title: Long-term outcomes of conservatively treated paediatric pelvic fractures.
abstract: The long-term orthopaedic, urologic, and psychiatric outcomes of patients treated non-operatively for unstable pelvic fractures were assessed. There were 55 males and 3 females with an average age of 7 (3-13). Eighty-one percent of the fractures were caused by motor vehicle accidents, and 68% by auto-pedestrian accidents. Thirty-four of the 58 fractures were type Tile type B and 24 were type C. Posterior urethral injury was determined in 41 patients, and head injury in 21. Three patients with type C injury died within the first 3 days. After an average follow-up period of 7.4 years of the patients with type B injuries, leg length discrepancy of 1cm was determined in two, and limited motion associated with open-knee wound in one, and low back pain in two. Of the patients with type C injuries, low back pain was found in four, gait abnormality in three, sacroiliac ankylosis in one, and symphyseal ossification in two. Urethral stricture was determined in 11 patients, urinary incontinence in 6 and erectile dysfunction in 6. A total of 31 patients were diagnosed with 41 psychiatric illnesses, including dysthymic disorder, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and major depression. No difference was found in the treatment outcomes of the two groups. From a holistic standpoint, long hospital stays and urologic complications are associated with serious psychological problems, and thus should be considered during selection of treatment modality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey. msubasi@dicle.edu.tr
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Subasi
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Necmioglu
authors.forename: Abdurrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Onen
authors.forename: Sakir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozen
authors.forename: Mete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaya
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D010808:Physical Examination; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000293:injuries