Features of replacement of extensive post-resection bone defects in pelvic and sacral tumors

Abstract

Purpose of the study. To represent the results of a two-stage surgical treatment in patients with extensive pelvic bone defects.Materials and methods. Data on 7 patients who underwent surgery for pelvic and sacrum tumors at the National Medical Research Centre for Oncology from 2016 up to 2020 are presented. The average age of the patients was 36 years. Patients with massive tumors that required a major resection of the posterior pelvis and the formation of an extensive bone defect requiring reconstruction with massive allografts and implants were selected for the study. 5 patients underwent different variations of sacrectomies with the resection of the iliac bones; 2 patients – interiliac-abdominal resections. For all these patients, surgical treatment was split into 2 stages.Results. At the first stage we performed: 5 surgical interventions (total or extended sacrectomy at L5–S1 with lumbar-iliac bilateral stabilization with an 8‑screw pedicle system) in patients with sacral tumors. In 2 cases, an interilio-abdominal resection with the defect replacement with cement articulating spacer. Intraoperative blood loss on average was 1.8L. We used autohemotransfusion to compensate the intraoperative blood loss.The 2nd (reconstructive) stage was completed on average after 3 months. The reconstructive stage was not accompanied by major trauma in all patients. The average blood loss was approximately 800 ml. There were no complications after the reconstructive surgical stage.Conclusion. The described two-stage technique allowed to avoid severe infectious complications requiring removal of implants and grafts in all patients. Adequate spinal pelvic stabilization and/or spacing of the defect contributed to early functional rehabilitation of patients and the continuation of adequate adjuvant therapy in the interstage period. The delaying of the reconstruction allowed to reduce the duration and invasiveness of the main intervention without affecting the final result of treatment.

Keywords

• sacral tumors
• sacrectomy
• lumbar-pelvic stabilization
• bone defects
• infectious complications
• augment