Contralateral Back Pain Following Trans-sacral Trans-iliac Screw Fixation: Resolution After Hardware Removal.

CASE: A 16-year-old girl presented to the emergency department after a 6-foot fall while skiing. The patient presented with left-sided pelvic pain and acute blood loss anemia. She was diagnosed with pelvic ring fracture (LC-2) and underwent open reduction internal fixation using a trans-sacral trans-iliac (TSTI) screw. She initially recovered but reported chronic right-sided back pain 4 years later. After hardware removal, she remained symptom-free for 1 year.

CONCLUSION

Very few cases report contralateral pain associated with TSTI screws penetrating the opposite SI joint. This report highlights a possible long-term complication surgeons should account for when considering TSTI fixation.