Sacroiliac (SI) Screws: The Effect of SI Screw Removal on Patient-Reported Pain and Functional Outcomes

NCT ID: NCT02652611

Last Updated: 2024-10-09

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

60 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-09-30

Study Completion Date

2020-12-31

Brief Summary

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Chronic pain following surgical stabilization of a pelvic fracture is very prominent and can have a major affect on a patient's quality of life. Persistent pain after radiographic evidence of fracture union commonly leads to implant removal. But, the routine removal of orthopaedic fixation devices after fracture healing remains an issue of debate.

Detailed Description

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Many surgeons remember patients whose intractable, hardly explainable local symptoms and complaints of pain resolved quickly after a hardware-removal procedure. However, implant removal requires a second surgical procedure in scarred tissue, poses a risk for nerve damage, infection and re-fractures, and is not a guarantee of pain relief.

Rates of implant removal vary based on anatomic location and implant selection. Many studies have introduced and assessed the outcomes of hardware removal in the ankle, tibia and femur. But, there is currently no controlled trial that assesses the benefits and harms of sacroiliac (SI) screw removal in pelvic fracture patients.

Reports in literature are not consistent concerning the incidence of painful hardware and the outcome and pain relief after hardware removal. There is conflicting evidence that removing hardware decreases acute pain in ankle, tibia, and femur fractures but there is a need to explore the effect of SI screw removal in pelvic fracture patients. The investigators propose to prospectively randomize patients with a pelvic fracture requiring the use of SI screws for stabilization to removal versus non-removal of SI screws and track which group has less pain and need for narcotic pain medications.

Conditions

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Sacroiliac Joint Pain Pelvis

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Screw Removal

Patients enrolled in the SI screw removal treatment group will undergo the surgery 5-9 months after the initial SI screw stabilization surgery. The surgeon will remove all screws that he/she is able and feels is appropriate for the patient. The patient will mobilize as per the surgeon's instructions and x-rays will be taken at follow-up clinic appointments as per standard of care to determine if the injury continues healing properly. If additional surgery is required or other complications arise, this will be recorded within the study follow-up forms.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

SI Screw Removal Surgery

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Non-screw Removal

Patients enrolled in the Non-SI screw removal treatment group will not undergo surgical intervention to for removal of their SI screws. remove all screws that he/she is able and feels is appropriate for the patient. The patient will mobilize as per the surgeon's instructions and x-rays will be taken at follow-up clinic appointments as per standard of care to determine if the injury continues healing properly. If complications arise and/or the patient requires screw removal surgery, crossover will be allowed and recorded within study follow0up forms.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Non-screw removal treatment (non-operative management)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Interventions

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SI Screw Removal Surgery

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Non-screw removal treatment (non-operative management)

Intervention Type PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* The patient is between 18 and 80 years of age, inclusive
* The patient has a pelvic fracture that required SI screw stabilization
* The patient has reached skeletal maturity
* The patient's pelvic fracture was the result of trauma (includes polytraumatized patients)
* The patient is English-speaking
* The patient's pelvic fracture was initially treated at Shock Trauma
* The patient is currently experiencing pain associated with his/her pelvic fracture
* The patient's surgeon agrees to randomization (the patient is amendable to either SI screw removal or non-screw removal treatment)
* The patient is able to be randomized between 4 and 8 months post-SI screw stabilization surgery at an orthopaedic follow-up appointment

Exclusion Criteria

* The patient is non-ambulatory due to an associated spinal cord injury
* The patient was non-ambulatory pre-injury
* The patient is currently pregnant
* The patient is enrolled in another study that does not allow co-enrollment
* The patient is likely to have severe problems with maintaining follow-up
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Maryland, Baltimore

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Marcus Sciadini

Associate Professor in Orthopaedics

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Marcus Sciadini, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Maryland

Gerard Slobogean, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Maryland

Locations

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University of Maryland, Shock Trauma Center

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Jacobsen S, Honnens de Lichtenberg M, Jensen CM, Torholm C. Removal of internal fixation--the effect on patients' complaints: a study of 66 cases of removal of internal fixation after malleolar fractures. Foot Ankle Int. 1994 Apr;15(4):170-1. doi: 10.1177/107110079401500402.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7951948 (View on PubMed)

Brown OL, Dirschl DR, Obremskey WT. Incidence of hardware-related pain and its effect on functional outcomes after open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures. J Orthop Trauma. 2001 May;15(4):271-4. doi: 10.1097/00005131-200105000-00006.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11371792 (View on PubMed)

Dodenhoff RM, Dainton JN, Hutchins PM. Proximal thigh pain after femoral nailing. Causes and treatment. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1997 Sep;79(5):738-41. doi: 10.1302/0301-620x.79b5.7345.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9331026 (View on PubMed)

Keating JF, Orfaly R, O'Brien PJ. Knee pain after tibial nailing. J Orthop Trauma. 1997 Jan;11(1):10-3. doi: 10.1097/00005131-199701000-00004.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8990026 (View on PubMed)

Court-Brown CM, Gustilo T, Shaw AD. Knee pain after intramedullary tibial nailing: its incidence, etiology, and outcome. J Orthop Trauma. 1997 Feb-Mar;11(2):103-5. doi: 10.1097/00005131-199702000-00006.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9057144 (View on PubMed)

Busam ML, Esther RJ, Obremskey WT. Hardware removal: indications and expectations. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2006 Feb;14(2):113-20. doi: 10.5435/00124635-200602000-00006.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16467186 (View on PubMed)

Gerbershagen HJ, Dagtekin O, Isenberg J, Martens N, Ozgur E, Krep H, Sabatowski R, Petzke F. Chronic pain and disability after pelvic and acetabular fractures--assessment with the Mainz Pain Staging System. J Trauma. 2010 Jul;69(1):128-36. doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e3181bbd703.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20093984 (View on PubMed)

Meyhoff CS, Thomsen CH, Rasmussen LS, Nielsen PR. High incidence of chronic pain following surgery for pelvic fracture. Clin J Pain. 2006 Feb;22(2):167-72. doi: 10.1097/01.ajp.0000174266.12831.a2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16428951 (View on PubMed)

Pohlemann T, Tscherne H, Baumgartel F, Egbers HJ, Euler E, Maurer F, Fell M, Mayr E, Quirini WW, Schlickewei W, Weinberg A. [Pelvic fractures: epidemiology, therapy and long-term outcome. Overview of the multicenter study of the Pelvis Study Group]. Unfallchirurg. 1996 Mar;99(3):160-7. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8685720 (View on PubMed)

Hanson B, van der Werken C, Stengel D. Surgeons' beliefs and perceptions about removal of orthopaedic implants. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2008 May 24;9:73. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-9-73.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18501014 (View on PubMed)

Toms AD, Morgan-Jones RL, Spencer-Jones R. Intramedullary femoral nailing: removing the nail improves subjective outcome. Injury. 2002 Apr;33(3):247-9. doi: 10.1016/s0020-1383(01)00145-0.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12084641 (View on PubMed)

Williams AA, Witten DM, Duester R, Chou LB. The benefits of implant removal from the foot and ankle. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2012 Jul 18;94(14):1316-20. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.J.01756.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22810403 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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HP-00063838

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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