Stress fracture of the hip and pubic rami after fusion to the sacrum in an adult with scoliosis: a case report.

Correction of adult scoliosis frequently involves long segmental fusions, but controversy still exists whether these fusions should include the sacrum. It has been suggested that forces associated with activities of daily living transfer the stresses to the remaining levels of the spine and to the pelvis. The case described here was a 43-year-old woman with scoliosis and chronic back pain refractory to non-surgical modalities. Radiographically, the patient had a 110 degree lumbar curve. An anterior and posterior fusion with Luque-Galveston instrumentation was performed. Six months postoperatively the patient returned with a 2-week history of right hip pain with no history of trauma. There was radiographic evidence of a displaced femoral neck fracture and pubic rami fractures. The femoral neck fracture was treated with a total hip replacement. Further surgeries were required to correct a lumbar pseudoarthrosis and hardware failure. We believe that this case provides evidence that fusion into the lumbosacral junction may distribute forces through the pelvic bones and hip resulting in stress and potential hardware complications, especially in patients at risk due to osteopenic conditions.