Lumbosacral plexopathy in pelvic trauma

• Published in: Muscle & nerve 2000-11, Vol.23 (11), p.1757-1760
• Main Authors: Kutsy, Roman L., Robinson, Lawrence R., Routt Jr, Milton L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action Potentials; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Electrodiagnosis. Electric activity recording; Electromyography; Female; Femoral Fractures - epidemiology; Humans; Incidence; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); lumbosacral; Lumbosacral Plexus - injuries; Lumbosacral Plexus - physiopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system; Neural Conduction; Neurons, Afferent - physiology; pelvic fracture; Pelvis - injuries; Pelvis - innervation; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - diagnosis; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - epidemiology; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases - physiopathology; plexopathy; Retrospective Studies; Sacrum - injuries; Spinal Nerve Roots - injuries; Spinal Nerve Roots - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4598(200011)23:11<1757::AID-MUS13>3.0.CO;2-M

We reviewed the electrophysiologic data and the etiology of lumbosacral plexopathy in 22 consecutive patients with pelvic trauma referred for electromyography (EMG). Most (68%) patients had sacral fractures or sacroiliac joint separation, 14% had acetabular fractures, and 9% had femoral fractures. Lumbosacral plexopathy was significantly more common (P = 0.0026) among patients with sacral fractures (incidence of 2.03%) than among the entire population of patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures (overall incidence 0.7%). Patients with acetabular and femoral fractures may have suffered injury to multiple proximal nerves originating from the plexus rather than injury to the plexus, as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) neurogram in select cases. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 23: 1757–1760, 2000