title: Posttraumatic coccygeal instability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the middle term results of partial coccygectomy in a consecutive series of 15 patients with chronic coccygodynia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen patients with chronic coccygodynia were referred to our outpatient clinics. The patients were investigated with dynamic lateral radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We diagnosed a posttraumatic coccygodynia with instability of the coccygeal segment and performed a partial coccygectomy after failure of the conservative treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients underwent subjective and objective assessment after a mean time of 2.8 years from surgery. There were 11 excellent, 3 good, and 1 fair results. The mean time of improvement was 15 weeks, and no further improvement was observed after 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Partial coccygectomy is a good therapeutic option for posttraumatic coccygodynia. Dynamic radiography is a useful tool to differentiate posttraumatic from idiopathic coccygodynia. MRI may be useful for further evaluation of the patients after inconclusive dynamic radiography.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedics and Trauma Department, University Hospital, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland. Elyazid.mouhsine@hospvd.ch
authors.forename: Elyazid
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mouhsine
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chevalley
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Theumann
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Borens
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maffulli
authors.forename: Constantin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schizas
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wettstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003050:Coccyx / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011859:Radiography; D012445:Sacrococcygeal Region; D016896:Treatment Outcome