A rare case of spinal injury: bilateral facet dislocation without fracture at the lumbosacral joint

• DOI: 10.1007/s00776-011-0082-y
• Publication Date: 2011-05-10T08:15:39Z
• Authors: Kei Shinohara; Shigeru Soshi; Yoshikuni Kida; Akira Shinohara; Keishi Marumo
• Keywords: Sacrum; Lumbar Vertebrae; Adolescent; Joint Dislocations; Lumbosacral Region; Case Report; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Diagnosis, Differential; 03 medical and health sciences; Spinal Fusion; 0302 clinical medicine; Spinal Injuries; Humans; Spinal Fractures; Orthopedics and Sports Medicine; Female; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Follow-Up Studies

AbstractLumbosacral dislocations are rare disorders; since they were first reported by Watson-Jones [1], only 100 cases have appeared in the literature [2]. A traumatic bilateral lumbosacral dislocation is even rarer, with a mere 10 cases reported [3]. Because of its low incidence and atypical location, the lesion may often go unnoticed on initial clinical assessment [4]. Surgical treatment modalities are not defined, but open reduction and internal fixation are often necessary because of a three-column involvement [5]. In this paper, we report on an initially misdiagnosed case of lumbosacral dislocation treated with open reduction and internal fixation.