Geriatric pelvic fractures (1) -- Epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and classification

Geriatric pelvic fractures are rapidly increasing in western industrialized countries, with os-teoporosis as their first major risk factor. Contrary to pelvic fractures in young people, they are usually caused by low energy injury, featured by atypical and misleading clinical symptoms, high morbidity and mortality. CT or MRI is needed as merely X-ray is not sensitive enough for diagnosis of posterior ring fractures. Traditional clas-sification systems of pelvic fractures cannot provide perfect elucidation of such fractures due to their limitation in description of injury mechanisms. A new classification system, however, can characterize common types of geriatric pelvic fracture, providing us with information of the specific fracture stability. This paper reviews the literature of recent 10 years concerning the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and classification of geriatric pelvic fractures to provide useful hints for diagnosis and treatment of such fractures in China. Key words: Pelvis; Fractures, bone; Osteoporosis; Epidemiology; Aged