Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of retrograde pubic ramus intramedullary nail (RPRIN) and percutaneous cannulated screw (PCS) in the treatment of anterior pelvic ring fractures (APRFs).
Methods This retrospective cohort study included 45 patients with APRFs treated between February 2019 and October 2022 in our trauma center. Patients were divided into two groups based on the surgical method: 20 received RPRIN fixation, and 25 received PCS fixation. Key variables including operation time, fluoroscopic time, blood loss, and postoperative complications were analyzed. Fracture reduction quality was assessed using the Matta score system, and pelvic functional recovery was evaluated using the Majeed score system at the final follow-up. Quantitative variables were compared using the independent sample ttest, while categorical variables were analyzed using Chi‐square and Fisher’s exact tests.
ResultsThe RPRIN group had significantly shorter operation time (36.3 ± 5.6 min vs. 49.5 ± 6.9 min, P< 0.01), fluoroscopic time (32.0 ± 2.8 s vs. 48.4 ± 3.6 s, P < 0.01), and less blood loss (20.4 ± 7.6 mL vs. 34.0 ± 5.7 mL, P < 0.01) than the PCS group. Fracture reduction quality (Matta outcome) and pelvic functional recovery (Majeed outcome) were comparable between the two groups (P> 0.05). No significant complications were reported in either group.
Conclusions Both RPRIN and PCS are effective for treating APRFs. However, RPRIN offers distinct advantages by reducing operation time, fluoroscopic time, and blood loss, making it a more efficient and less invasive option. Further multicenter studies and biomechanical analyses are warranted to confirm these findings.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Huazhong University of Science and Technology 2025
Author Contributions En-zhi Yin drafted the manuscript and performed the statistical analysis. Peng-hui Xiang and Li He collected the clinical data and interpreted the data. Yang-xing Luo performed the statistical analysis. Xue-feng Yuan and Yi-liu Liao revised the manuscript. Cheng-la Yi conceived and designed this study and revised the manuscript.
Data Availability The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy of the patients but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Declarations
Competing Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Consent for Publication All the patients in this study have given their informed consent for the article to be published.
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Funding
Clinical Application-oriented Medical Innovation Foundation from National Clinical Research Center for Orthopedics, Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation and Jiangsu China-Israel Industrial Technical Research Institute Foundation(2021-NCRC-CXJJ-ZH-24)
National Key R&D Plan of the 14th Five- Year Plan(2022YFC2504303)
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Huazhong University of Science and Technology
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