Management of a Close-Range High-Velocity Gunshot Wound to the Pelvis with Posterior Pelvic Plating: A Case Report.

CASE: A 31-year-old woman suffered a close-range, high-energy .30-rifle gunshot wound to her right ilium and sacrum resulting in an unstable pelvic ring injury with significant internal soft-tissue damage and bone loss. Given the limited amount of literature for managing this rare clinical scenario in a civilian setting, we described our protocol used on this patient to achieve a safe and effective result.

CONCLUSIONS

We present a civilian-inflicted high-velocity pelvic gunshot injury at close range. Although the patient had extensive pelvic bone loss and soft-tissue damage, she had excellent clinical results at 18-month follow-up after delayed posterior sacral bridge plating. Proper soft-tissue management and posterior sacral plating may yield good results for management of this type of injury.