Low-profile pelvic fixation with sacral alar-iliac screws.

Abstract

In the last years, a new technique for pelvic fixation using 'sacral alar-iliac' screws has been proposed as an alternative to the classic 'iliac wing' screws and the old Galveston technique. The authors provide a 'step-by-step' review of the technical details regarding this technique, as well as some important anatomical and radiological landmarks for its successful performance. 'Sacral alar-iliac' screws provide several advantages in relation to pelvic fixation with iliac bolts such as: better alignment with the rods, use of a 'low-profile' screw, and fixation of the sacroiliac (SI) joint, which avoids postoperative SI joint-related pain.