Literature Review and Clinical Presentation of Pelvic Impalement by Steel Bar Causing Cauda Equina Syndrome

Pelvic-penetrating injuries are rare but often spectacular and constitute formidable management problems. Most of the patients suffered from organ or vascular damages; however, neurological lesion in combination with pelvic impalement was seldom reported. This paper highlights a unique case of pelvic impalement through the sacrum with cauda equina injury. A 50-year-old construction worker was impaled in the pelvis because of an accidental fall on a steel bar. The surgical treatment of the injury and the medical management of complications are described in detail. The patient made a good recovery, although he has functional deficits related to the concomitant cauda equina injury. Our case emphasizes the importance of appropriate neurological diagnosis when providing no magnetic resonance imaging but a fuzzy x-ray computed tomography because of a metal object in situ and of individualized surgical management during therapeutic process.
Source: Neurosurgery Quarterly - Category: Neurosurgery Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research