Spence: Coccygectomy

The American Journal of Surgery

1961; 102: 850–853

Kenneth F. Spence Jr.

Department of Orthopedics, U. S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland.

Abstract

A brief review of the theories of causes and the methods of conservative treatment for coccygodynia are presented.

The records of eighteen cases of coccygectomy for coccygodynia performed at the U. S. Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, between the years 1947 and 1959 were reviewed.

Fourteen (78 per cent) patients had either complete relief or marked improvement of their symptoms.

An effort was made to correlate the patient's medical history and physical findings with the benefits received from the coccygectomy. No common symptom for correlation was found.

It appears in reviewing this series and the series recently published by others, that universal condemnation of performing a coccygectomy on a patient with coccygodynia is not warranted.

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