Classification of pelvic ring injuries.

Advances in the operative stabilization of pelvic ring injuries, particularly by the development of special surgical techniques and implants, call for clear indications. These require the thorough analysis of the injury and its classification. Classification systems facilitate communication and the comparison of treatment concepts and results. Although a number of classification systems have been proposed, none of them has found universal acceptance. The following is a proposal for a comprehensive classification of pelvic ring injuries which, at the same time, accommodates the requirements of the AO/ASIF classification guidelines. The proposal is based primarily on radiographic morphology and secondarily on certain deductions made from it pertaining to the pathomechanics of the injury. To accommodate the extremely wide variety of possibilities, an open system was created by dividing the pelvic ring into anterior and posterior ring segments. Lesions of both segments can be freely combined for the definition of any given pelvic ring injury.