title: Complex sacral fracture.
abstract: We reported a case of a patient with suspected cauda equina syndrome secondary to sacral fracture, after sustaining a fall. The difficulty in early diagnosis of complex sacral fractures and the lack of clearly defined guidelines for treatment are highlighted. Thorough clinical examination is mandatory, in order to make an adequate initial assessment and follow symptoms progression and response to treatment. The threshold for performing CT imaging (or MRI, if advised), when suspecting sacral fracture and neurological compromise, should be low. A multidisciplinary approach, with contributions from orthopaedic and/or neurosurgical surgery and physiatry, should be the gold standard of treatment. In this particular case, conservative management and close follow-up led to a significant improvement of problems and a good final outcome, showing that surgical decompression is not the only valid option and that further prospective studies are needed, regarding patient selection and timing of intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Center and University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. jlmonteiroalves@gmail.com
authors.forename: José Luís
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Nubélio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Maria João
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Frade
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011128:Polyradiculopathy / Q000209:etiology; D012447:Sacrum / Q000293:injuries*; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*