What is a Sacroiliac Joint Fusion?

Sacroiliac joint fusion (SI Fusion) is a minimally-invasive procedure to treat back, pelvic, groin, and hip pain originating in the sacroiliac joint.

What Does SI Fusion Treat?

SI Fusion procedures treat instability and pain in the pelvis, lower back, hip, and groin. By treating the source of the pain, the sacroiliac joint, pain is able to be reduced or eliminated completely.

How Does the Procedure Work?

The SI Fusion procedure fuses the sacroiliac joint, which connects the pelvis and sacrum, preventing movement that causes pain.

There are multiple procedure methods available:

SiLO™ by Aurora Spine
From the posterior, a guide pin is inserted into the sacroiliac joint, followed by the Joint Finder, which helps open the joint. A hollow tube, known as the Ghost Tube is inserted around the joint finder, allowing for the Joint Finder to be removed. A specialized drill is used through the opening of the Ghost Tube, hollowing out an opening for the SiLO graft device. The SiLO device is inserted into the opening, holding the joint together, allowing bone to grow to permanently fuse the two bones.

For more information on SiLO™ visit Aurora Spine’s website at https://www.aurora-spine.com/silo.

LinQ™ by PainTEQ
From the posterior, a guide pin is inserted into the sacroiliac joint, followed by the tissue dilator, which helps open the joint. A specialized rasp is inserted through the opening of a tissue dilator, hollowing out an opening for the LinQ graft device. The LinQ device is inserted into the opening, holding the joint together, allowing bone to grow to permanently fuse the two bones.

For more information on LinQ™ visit PainTEQ’s website at https://www.painteq.com/procedure.

SIFix by NuTech
From the posterior, a guide pin is inserted into the sacroiliac joint, followed by the tissue dilator, which helps open the joint. A specialized drill is used through the opening of the tissue dilator, hollowing out an opening for the SIFix graft device. The SIFix device is inserted into the opening, holding the joint together, allowing bone to grow to permanently fuse the two bones.

For more information on SIFix visit NuTech’s website at https://nutechspine.com/sifix/.

iFuse by SI-Bone
For more information in iFuse visit SI-Bone
From the side of the pelvic bone, a guide pin is inserted into the pelvic bone, followed by a tissue dilator, creating an opening for the surgeon to operate in. A specialized drill is inserted through the opening, drilling through the pelvic bone, and into the sacrum. A triangular graft device is inserted into the opening created by the drill. Typically, 3 implants will be used, depending on the size and anatomy of each patient.

What are the Risks?

Although the complication rate for the SI Fusion procedure is low, all surgical procedures have risk of infection, and procedures that uses general or local anesthesia have risks of anesthetic complications. The SI Fusion procedure is considered to be low risk, however complications including injury to the pelvis, implant failure, nerve, and muscle damage, can occur. The SI Fusion procedure is a minimally-invasive procedure, which has substantially lower risk of complications, including infection, when compared to open surgery.

Benefits of SI Fusion

Sacroiliac Joint Fusion creates a single immobile unit, creating stability and reducing pain. Although recovery time can be long for a minimally-invasive procedure, up to 12 weeks for the bone growth to fuse the joint together, by eliminating movement the joint pain can be reduced or fully eliminated.