Windswept pelvis

Last revised by Joshua Yap on 1 Nov 2022

A windswept pelvis fracture is a complex bony pelvic injury caused by a combination of unilateral AP compression (open book) injury with a contralateral lateral compression injury. 

It occurs when the internal rotation of one iliac wing causes a unilateral sacral compression fracture, while the same forces cause external rotation of the opposite hemipelvis, resulting in diastasis of the sacroiliac joint. This causes the classic “windswept pelvis” appearance.

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