Application of magnetic resonance neurography in the treatment of pelvic fracture with lumbosacral plexus injury / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the application value of magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) in pelvic fractures with lumbosacral plexus injury.Methods:From January 2014 to June 2020, data of 9 patients with pelvic fractures combined with lumbosacral plexus injury who were diagnosed with MRN and were performed surgical treatment were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, there were 8 males and 1 female, aged from 18 to 54 years, with an average age of 40.6±11.0 years. There were 2 fresh fractures within 3 weeks and 7 old pelvic fractures in 9 patients. According to AO classification, there were 6 cases of C1.3 type, 3 cases of C3 type. According to Denis classification of sacral fracture, there were 8 cases of Denis II type, 1 case of Denis III. Gibbons classification of nerve injury: 2 cases of grade II, 4 cases of grade III, 3 cases of grade IV; According to the criteria by the Nervous Injury Committee of British Medical Research Council (BMRC): 2 cases of M1, 3 cases of M2, 2 cases of M3, 2 cases of M4. Before the operation, the MRN technology was used to accurately locate the location and extent of the lumbosacral nerve injury, and nerve exploration release or internal fixation combined with nerve exploration release was employed for treatment.Results:All 9 patients underwent surgery successfully. The operation time ranged from 150 to 360 min, with an average of 217.8±63.8 min; intraoperative blood loss ranged from 200 to 1 100 ml, with an average of 388.9±293.4 ml. All patients were followed up for 21.6±19.3 months. All the fractures were healed, and the healing time was 12.7±2.2 months (range, 10-18 months). At the last follow-up, Gibbons classification of nerve injury: 3 cases of grade I, 5 cases of grade II, and 1 case of grade III. According to the criteria of BMRC: the muscle strength achieved M5 in 6 cases, M4 in 2 cases, M3 in 1 case. One patient developed a urinary system infection 2 months after discharge and recovered after treatment.Conclusion:MRN technique can assist the surgeon to fully understand the compression and traction damage of the lumbosacral nerve by the fracture before the operation, and make clear qualitative and localized diagnosis of the nerve damage, making the operation more precise and minimally invasive, which is a supplement to the traditional diagnosis method of lumbosacral plexus injury.