Chronic pain following surgical stabilization of a pelvic fracture is very prominent and can have a major affect on a patient's quality of life. Persistent pain after radiographic evidence of fracture union commonly leads to implant removal. But, the routine removal of orthopaedic fixation devices after fracture healing remains an issue of debate.
Many surgeons remember patients whose intractable, hardly explainable local symptoms and complaints of pain resolved quickly after a hardware-removal procedure. However, implant removal requires a second surgical procedure in scarred tissue, poses a risk for nerve damage, infection and re-fractures, and is not a guarantee of pain relief. Rates of implant removal vary based on anatomic location and implant selection. Many studies have introduced and assessed the outcomes of hardware removal in the ankle, tibia and femur. But, there is currently no controlled trial that assesses the benefits and harms of sacroiliac (SI) screw removal in pelvic fracture patients. Reports in literature are not consistent concerning the incidence of painful hardware and the outcome and pain relief after hardware removal. There is conflicting evidence that removing hardware decreases acute pain in ankle, tibia, and femur fractures but there is a need to explore the effect of SI screw removal in pelvic fracture patients. The investigators propose to prospectively randomize patients with a pelvic fracture requiring the use of SI screws for stabilization to removal versus non-removal of SI screws and track which group has less pain and need for narcotic pain medications.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
60
University of Maryland, Shock Trauma Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Post-operative Pain Within 6 Months After Iliosacral Screw Removal Using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
The BPI is presented on a 0-10 level visual analog scale with a 24-hour recall period. A level of 0 is described to the patients as "no pain," and "10" described as "pain as bad as you can imagine." The BPI includes four items: the worst pain the patient has felt in the last 24 hours, the least pain the patient has felt in the last 24 hours, the average pain the patient has felt in the last 24 hours, and the pain the patient feels right now. The BPI score is the average of the four items.
Time frame: Up to 24 months post initial SI screw stabilization
Pelvic Function Within 6 Months After Iliosacral Screw Removal, Measured Using the Majeed Pelvic Outcome Score.
The Majeed Pelvic Outcome Score is a clinically validated tool that assesses pain, working status, walking distance, sitting, sexual intercourse, walking aids, unaided gait, and walking distance. The score is reported on a 0-100 point scale with higher values indicating better pelvic function.
Time frame: Up to 24 months post initial SI screw stabilization
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