Abstract

PURPOSE
This research was conducted to study whether the specific location of pelvic-bone fractures could increase the risk for injury to the urinary bladder, urethra, or lower gastrointestinal tract.
METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the data of 234 patients with pelvic-bone fractures who visited the emergency department of Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2006. The location of the pelvic-bone fracture was divided into 8 parts. The association of fracture location with injury to the urinary bladder, urethra, or lower gastrointestinal tract was analyzed with Fisher's-exact test and multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS
Nineteen(19) patients had urinary bladder injury, 8 had urethral injury, and 9 had lower gastrointestinal tract injury. The following fracture locations were found to be significant; urinary bladder: sacroiliac (SI) joint (p<0.001), symphysis pubis (p=0.011), and sacrum (p=0.005); urethra: SI joint (p=0.020); lower gastrointestinal tract: symphysis pubis (p=0.028). After the multiple logistic regression analysis, the primary and the independent predictors for each of the injuries were as follows; urinary bladder: sacroiliac joint (p=0.000, odds ratio [OR]=10.469); lower gastrointestinal tract: symphysis pubis (p=0.037, OR=7.009).
CONCLUSION
Consideration of further workup for injuries to the lower gastrointestinal and urinary tract is needed for some locations of pelvic-bone fractures because certain pelvic-bone fracture locations, especially the sacroiliac joint and the symphysis pubis, are associated with increased risk for injury to the lower gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.

• Keywords: Urinary bladderUrethraLower gastrointestinal tractPelvic boneFracture