Traumatic hemipelvectomy: surgical and medical-legal aspects

Background: Traffic accidents are major causes of disability and mortality due to the increasing number of vehicles, changes in lifestyle and high-risk behavior among the general population. Traumatic hemipelvectomy is a type of exceptional lesion representing 0.6% of all pelvic fractures, although lesions of the lower extremities are more usual than those of the upper extremities. Case presentation: The authors present an unusual case of traumatic left hemipelvectomy, and consider the medical-legal aspects resulting from an accident of a motorcycle driver, which involved a lateral collision between the subject’s motorcycle and a car. Conclusion: With traumatic hemipelvectomy in young subjects difficulties arise at any level and in all medical fields: clinically, surgical and medicolegal