[Diagnosis of Patients with Painful Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome].

Pain coming from the sacroiliac (SI) joints can explain up to 25% of all chronic low back pain. A careful differential diagnosis is required to avoid misdiagnosis of low back pain. In addition to historical findings, positive findings on physical examination maneuvers that stress the SI joint are a key component diagnosis. The SI joint is confirmed as a pain generator when intraarticular injection of local anaesthetics provides acute back pain relief. Minimally invasive SI joint fusion is clearly superior to invasive open surgical procedures, with decreased blood loss and tissue disruption, shorter procedure times and shorter hospital stays. Especially well documented are the results of minimally invasive SI joint fusion using iFuse Implant System®. The device's triangular profile, combined with a titanium plasma spray coating, ensures both an immediate and long-lasting joint stabilization. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.