PUBIC RAMI FRACTURE - A BENIGN PELVIC INJURY

Objective: To present a consecutive series of older patients with pubi c rami fractures and evaluate their long term functional outcome. Stud y Design: Retrospective. Methods: Sixty-three consecutive community-dw elling, ambulatory patients who sustained a pubic rami fracture and we re treated at one hospital were reviewed. Fifty-two of sixty-three pat ients (83%) had radiographic evidence of pubic rami fracture at initia l presentation; in the remaining eleven patients, the diagnosis of pub ic rami fracture was made after additional imaging studies. Sixty pati ents (95%) required hospitalization for pain control and progressive m obilization. Results: The hospital length of stay for the sixty admitt ed patients averaged fourteen days; patients who had three or more ass ociated medical comorbidities or required use of a cane or walker for ambulation prior to fracture were more likely to have been hospitalize d greater than two weeks. Thirty-eight patients were available for one year minimum follow-up; thirty-five of thirty-eight patients (92%) we re living at home, 84% had no or mild complaints of hip/groin pain, 92 % had returned to their prefracture ambulatory status, and 95% had ret urned to their prefracture function in activities of daily living. Con clusions: 1) Elderly patients with pubic rami fractures utilize substa ntial healthcare resources based upon length of stay and need for home care services; and 2) those patients who survive have a good prognosi s with regard to long term pain relief and functional outcome.