Summary
During a triple pelvic osteotomy, rotation of the free acetabular segment causes the
pubic remnant on the acetabulum to rotate into the pelvic canal. The resulting narrowing
may cause complications by impingement on the organs within the pelvic canal. Triple
pelvic osteotomies were performed on ten cadaver pelves with pubic remnants equal
to 0, 25, and 50% of the hemi-pubic length and angles of acetabular rotation of 20,
30, and 40 degrees. All combinations of pubic remnant lengths and angles of acetabular
rotation caused a significant reduction in pelvic canal-width and cross-sectional
area, when compared to the inact pelvis. Zero, 25, and 50% pubic remnants result in
15, 35, and 50% reductions in pelvic canal width respectively. Overrotation of the
acetabulum should be avoided and the pubic remnant on the acetabular segment should
be minimized to reduce postoperative complications due to pelvic canal narrowing.
When performing triple pelvic osteotomies, the length of the pubic remnant on the
acetabular segment and the angle of acetabular rotation both significantly narrow
the pelvic canal. To reduce post-operative complications, due to narrowing of the
pelvic canal, overrotation of the acetabulum should be avoided and the length of the
pubic remnant should be minimized.
Keywords
Hip dysplasia - triple pelvic osteotomy - pelvic canal narrowing
