HEMIPELVECTOMY: ERASTO GAERTNER HOSPITAL'S EXPERIENCES WITH 32 CASES IN 10 YEARS

Objective: To show the experience of the Erasto Gaertner Hospital with hemipelvectomy surgery over a 10-year period. Methods: This was a retrospective study on 32 patients who underwent hemipelvectomy at Erasto Gaertner Hospital between 1998 and 2008, assessing clinical and surgical characteristics. Results: Among the 32 patients, 15 were female and 17 were male. The mean age was 37.94 years. Eight cases showed involvement of the neurovascular bundle: three were located in the iliac and extended to the thigh, two were in the acetabulum and extended to the thigh and three were in the acetabulum and pubis. Twenty-three cases presented a neurovascular bundle free from neoplasia: 11 were restricted to the iliac, six were in the acetabular region, two were in the pubic ramus and four extended to the whole hemipelvis bone. One case involved the iliac-femoral vessels: one in the pubic ramus. Seven cases of chondrosarcoma and four cases of Ewing's sarcoma represented the majority. Eight cases underwent external hemipelvectomy and 24 underwent internal hemipelvectomy (11 were type I; four were type II; two were type II + III; three were type III and four were type IV). Of these 24 cases, 13 did not have any reconstruction, 10 had a fibular graft and one had an iliacfemoral vein and artery prosthesis. Twenty-six surgeries were curative and six were palliative. There were 14 deaths. Survival of two and five years was seen in 11 and 10 cases, respectively. For six cases, less than two years had passed since the operation. Three cases were lost during follow-up. Conclusion: This study shows the experiences of an oncology reference service specializing in highly complex surgical treatment.