Currently, posterior pelvic ring injuries remain a challenge for orthopedic surgeons and surgical treatment is necessary for treating these injuries. There are various internal fixation methods have been described [8, 9, 11]. However, each technique owns its advantages and disadvantages, and no consensus has been reached pertaining to the optimal method for these injuries. The introduction of percutaneous minimally insertion of sacroiliac screw with limited soft tissue exposure is probably the most common method, however, this technique is technically demanding and limited by potential vascular and neural injuries [21]. The LCP technique is an effective treatment of choice for posterior pelvic ring injuries in view of its convenience and minimal trauma. The retrospective data of Tang et al. [11] found that in posterior pelvic ring injuries, LCP fixation could achieve satisfactory radiological and functional results. However, the disadvantages of the LCP include limited reduction potential, damage to the threads of screw holes during pre-contouring the plate, and potential injury to the nerve and blood vessels when the soft tissue is stripped off [6, 11]. To address these limitations, the pedicle screw construct was introduced as an alternative to treat posterior pelvic ring injuries [13]. Bi et al. [5] clinically compared the pedicle screw construct versus the LCP in a retrospective study and observed that the size of incision, operation duration and bleeding volume were statistically smaller in the pedicle screw group than those in the LCP group.
However, as far as we know, few biomechanical studies using FE simulation method have compared the posterior pedicle screw construct with the dorsal LCP fixation in the management of unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries. It is difficult to evaluate the biomechanical performance of an implant by means of clinical trials. FE analysis is the preferred method used to compare the biomechanics of different implants for the treatment of posterior pelvic ring injuries [16–18]. In the current study, we constructed the three-dimensional model of sacroiliac joint injury treated with the pedicle screw construct or LCP fixation to evaluate the differences in biomechanical properties. The results of this study found that the two pelvic fixation techniques, i.e., pedicle screw construct, and LCP fixation, had great differences on the construct stiffness, model displacement and stress distribution under the follower load condition. Our results suggested that the construct stiffness of the pedicle screw model was much higher than that in the plate model. Moreover, the maximum displacement in the pedicle screw model was much smaller than that in the plate model. Additionally, the peak stresses of the implant and pelvis in the pedicle screw model were much lower than those in the plate model.
There is evidence that the pedicle screw construct can provide sufficient biomechanical stability in the treatment of unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries. Song et al. [16] compared the pedicle screw fixation with two anterior reconstruction plates in the treatment of Tile C1 pelvic fractures (unilateral sacroiliac joint injury combined with superior and inferior pubic ramus fractures) by FE simulation technology and the results showed that the maximum displacements of the ilium and implant in the pedicle screw model were smaller than those of the plate model. Our results found that the maximum displacement of the sacrum in the pedicle screw model decreased by 51.2% compared with the plate fixation. The smaller maximum displacement of the pelvis represents better fixation stability [17], and thus, the author came to the conclusion that the posterior pelvic ring injuries fixed with the pedicle screw construct could achieve sufficient mechanical stability. Dienstknecht et al. [22] used freshly frozen human pelvis to simulate AO type C injury model (unilateral sacroiliac joint disruption combined with pubic symphysis displacement) to compare the pedicle screw construct, two sacroiliac screws and two ventral compression plates, and observed that differences in the three-dimensional displacement did not reach statistical significance. The study revealed that the pedicle screw construct had similar biomechanical stability to other two internal fixations, and it was considered that the pedicle screw construct might be an alternative to the other implants for unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries. In another biomechanical study on pelvic bones [23], unilateral sacral fractures were simulated and fixed with a modified dual pedicle screw construct or a conventional posterior plate, and the results demonstrated that the mean maximum loads, the loads applied to the construct at displacements of 5 mm and 7.5 mm, and the mean stiffness in the pedicle screw group were significantly higher compared with the posterior plate group, which led the authors to conclude that the usage of a modified dual pedicle screw construct was biomechanically stronger than conventional posterior plate fixation in unstable vertical sacral fracture. In our unilateral sacroiliac joint injury model, the construct stiffness of the pedicle screw model was 2 times that of the plate fixation. The construct stiffness of a fixation device is a main determinant of fracture site motion that affects the progression of fracture healing [24], and clinical studies demonstrated that the substantial increase in construct stiffness did not seem to interfere with fracture healing [9, 14]. Using FE model to simulate Denis II type fracture to compare the pedicle screw construct and two sacroiliac screws, Salášek et al. [25] proved that the pedicle screw construct could achieve higher stiffness in comparison with sacroiliac screws. In detail, the mean stiffness ratio medially and laterally in the pedicle screw model were 75.22% and 57.88%, while the values in sacroiliac screws model declined to 46.54% and 44.74%, respectively.
The lower peek stress of the fixation devices represents a lower risk of implant failure [17]. In this study, the von Mises stress distributions of the two implants were also evaluated. The stress in the pedicle screw construct was concentrated at the junction of the pedicle screw and the rod, and the stress concentration for the plate fixation was found at the junction of the plate and the locking screw. The peek von Mises stress of the implant in the pedicle screw construct decreased by 80.4% when compared with the plate fixation. From the biomechanical point of view, the pedicle screw model had lower risk of fatigue failure than the plate model. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the yield strength of the used titanium alloy was 921 MPa [26], while the peek von Mises stress in the pedicle screw and plate model was 44.57 MPa and 227.47 MPa, respectively. The peek stress of the implant was lower than the yield stress in both models, therefore suggesting that the two methods of fixation for the treatment of unstable pelvic ring injuries could be safe. The results were in concordance with the data of Song et al. [16] who conducted a biomechanical study in the treatment of Tile C1 pelvic fractures and found that the maximum stresses of the ilium and implant in the pedicle screw model were less than those in the plate model. In another biomechanical study, Salášek et al. [24] apparently demonstrated that the pedicle screw construct experienced the lower stress compared with two sacroiliac screws. In detail, the von Mises stress ratio of the pedicle screw construct was 139.27%, while the value in sacroiliac screws increased to 565.35%.
Recent studies have found that the pedicle screw construct could obtain satisfactory clinical results in treating unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries. In a retrospective study, Hua et al. [14] reported that in unstable pelvic ring injuries, 23 patients were treated with a minimally invasive anterior internal pelvic fixator (INFIX) with or without a posterior pedicle screw construct, and the authors found an excellent or good rate of 82.6% in postoperative radiographic outcomes according to the Matta criteria and 87% in clinical results at 6 months postoperatively according to the Majeed scores. The results were in concordance with the data of Wu et al. [27] who conducted a retrospective analysis in 23 unstable pelvic ring injuries using INFIX with or without a posterior pedicle screw construct and observed that an excellent or good rate of 87% was acquired according to the radiological Matta criteria and 91.3% in clinical results at 12 months postoperatively according to the Majeed scores. Similar retrospective data of Wang et al. [9] found that the excellent and good rate of 89.7% in both radiological Matta criteria and clinical Majeed scores in a series of 29 posterior pelvic ring instabilities with the pedicle screw construct. The results were compatible with the data of Bi et al. [5] who performed a retrospective analysis in unstable posterior pelvic ring fractures and found that an excellent rate of 83.3% in clinical Majeed scores when the pedicle screw-rod fixator was used. In a prospective study, Salášek et al. [28] reported that in a series of 64 Tile C1 pelvic fractures, no significant difference in the clinical Majeed scores was found between the pedicle screw construct group and two sacroiliac screws group. However, two developed iatrogenic neurological injuries in sacroiliac screws, while no intraoperative complications were associated with the pedicle screw construct.
The transiliacal internal fixator, which was initially described by Füchtmeier et al. [29] in a prospective study including 31 patients with vertical shear injuries of the pelvis, using two 7.0 mm pedicle screws connected to a transverse rod, and the fixator was proven to be a minimal invasive technique with a very low rate of neurovascular injuries for stabilization of sacroiliac joint ruptures and sacral fractures. In Füchtmeier’s study, the pedicle screws were placed into the PSIS in cranio-caudal direction and parallel to the superior gluteal line. To obtain sufficient biomechanical stability by internal fixation with a pedicle screw rod system, the greater diameter of pedicle screws was recommended [16]. In a radiographic morphometric study, Schildhauer et al. [30] found that the supraacetabular bone canal from the PSIS to the AIIS to place pedicle screws did demonstrate the optimal path for lumbopelvic fixation in treating spinal and pelvic ring injuries. The bone corridor allowed placement of the implant with a length of 141 mm in male and 129 mm in female patients, and screws with 8-mm diameter in male and 6- to 7-mm in female patients. Schmitz et al. [31] confirmed the results of Schildhauer and proved that Schanz screws were placed into the supraacetabular bone canal could reach a length of up to 135mm (mean 100mm ± 20mm), which led the authors to conclude that placement of the Schanz screws from the PSIS to the AIIS could provide a greater mechanical stability for fragility fractures of the pelvis with vertical and rotational instability. In our study, two 7.0 mm pedicle screws with 55-mm length were inserted in the direction from the PSIS to the AIIS.
However, there were some limitations in this study. Firstly, the material properties of the bones and implants were simplified into homogeneous, isotropic, and linearly elastic. Secondly, muscles were not included in the models, which could not fully reflect the real conditions. Finally, only static loads were applied to the spine-pelvis-femur complex for FE analysis. The spine-pelvis-femur, in reality, is exposed to complex forces and moments during normal activity. Despite this, the FE model used in this study was comparable to those used in previous in vitro studies.