Iliac Bone Corridors to Host the Transiliac Internal Fixator—An Experimental CT Based Analysis

Background: The transiliac internal fixator (TIFI) is a novel minimally invasive surgical procedure to stabilize posterior pelvic ring fractures. Two bone corridors with different lengths, widths, and angulations are suitable to host screws in the posterior iliac wing. While the length and the width have been described previously, the angulation has not been determined yet. Methods: We created a computer tomography-based 3D-model of 40 patients (20 women, 20 men). The possible bone corridors to host the ilium screws for the TIFIcc (cranio-caudal) and the TIFIdv (dorso-ventral) procedure were identified. After reaching the optimal position, the angles in relation to the sagittal and axial plane were measured. The anterior pelvic plane was chosen as the reference plane. Results: The mean angle of the TIFIcc screws related to the axial plane was 63.4° (±1.8°) and to the sagittal plane was 12.3° (±1.5°). The mean angle of the TIFIdv screws related to the axial plane was 16.1° (±1.2°) and to the sagittal plane was 20.1° (±2.0°). In each group, a high constancy was apparent irrespective of the age or physical dimension of the patient, although a significant gender-dependent difference was observed”. Conclusions: Due to a high inter-individual constancy in length, width, and angulation, bone corridors in the posterior iliac wing are reliable to host screws for posterior pelvic ring fixation irrespective of each individual patient’s anatomy.