Lateral Sacral Imaging in the Morbidly Obese

Obesity can complicate surgical procedures by both adding to difficulty intraoperatively and increasing postoperative complications. Intraoperative imaging can be difficult on morbidly obese patients. We have noted specifically that in morbidly obese patients where the lateral sacrum cannot be visualized on the pre-operative scout computed tomography image, the lateral sacrum will not be able to be seen on intraoperative fluoroscopy. This is an important component of preoperative planning in morbidly obese patients with pelvic ring injuries.