title: Pelvic fractures in children and adolescents in polytrauma and high-energy injuries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This paper is a retrospective analysis of the treatment of pelvic fractures in children and adolescents who sustained polytrauma and high-energy injuries. Incidence varies from 0.2% to 7.5% of all pediatric injuries. Most often, these are isolated stable fractures that do not require hospitalization. However, a group of unstable fractures requiring surgical intervention remains.
  
  
  METHODS
  37 patients aged 5 to 17 years (mean: 13.6), were hospitalized between 2002 and 2010. This group comprised 21 boys and 16 girls who were followed up for 1 to 8 years (mean: 3.2). In this cohort, only cases of pelvic fractures that required hospitalization for other reasons were taken into account. The causes of injuries were car accidents, falls from bicycles and sports injuries. The Torode and Zieg classification was used for assessment, including surgical guidance by Mears/Gordon.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 11 cases of type I, 7 cases of type II and III and 9 cases of type IV fractures. Moreover, 3 cases of S-H II acetabular fractures were identified. The surgical treatment made use of external pelvic fixators, combined internal coaptation with cannulated screws or K-wires, and LCP plates or combined techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1. Torode and Zieg type I to III pelvic fractures in children do not usually require surgical treatment. 2. To rode and Zieg type IV unstable fractures require operative treatment in order to avoid complications and aid faster recovery.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Hand Surgery Ward, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital Research Institute, Poland. ortopedia-czmp@tlen.pl
authors.forename: Kryspin Ryszard
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Niedzielski
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guzikiewicz
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Małecki
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Golański
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000379:methods*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome