Pelvic injury is not just pelvic fracture

Abstract

Pelvic trauma is complex, most of current work centres around pelvic haemorrhage and fractures. It is important to remember that there is more anatomy in the pelvis than bones and vessels. A 29-year-old male patient was admitted after an Road Traffic Collision (RTC) where his motorbike T-boned a car. He was noted to have a traumatic dislocation of his right testicle, which spontaneously reduced in the emergency department and he was admitted for scrotal exploration and observation. Due to difficulty in mobilising postoperatively, he underwent an MRI, which showed diastasis of his pubis symphysis as well as left-sided adductor tendon rupture, not evident on his initial CT scan, and underwent pelvic fixation. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this? This case emphasises the alternate differentials with pelvic trauma in a haemodynamically stable patient, and the requirement for continuous reassessment in patients failing to improve.