Saket Jati1, Nikhil Jain2
BACKGROUND
Tibial pilon fracture though requires operative treatment is difficult to manage. Conventional osteosynthesis is not suitable, because distal tibia is subcutaneous bone with poor vascularity. Closed reduction and Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis (MIPO) for distal tibia has emerged as an alternative treatment option because it respects fracture biology and haematoma and also provides biomechanically stable construct.
The aim of the study is to evaluate the results of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis using locking plates in treating tibial pilon fractures in terms of fracture union, restoration of ankle function and complications.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
30 patients with closed tibial pilon fractures (Ruedi and Allgower type I (14), type II (13), type III (3) treated with MIPO with Locking Compression Plates (LCP) were prospectively followed for average duration of 18 months.
RESULTS
Average duration of injury-hospital and injury-surgery interval was as 12.05 hrs. and 3.50 days, respectively. All fractures got united with an average duration of 20.8 weeks (range 14-28 weeks). Olerud and Molander score was used for evaluation at 3 months, 6 months and 18 months. One patient had union with valgus angulation of 15 degrees, but no nonunion was found.
CONCLUSION
The present study shows that MIPO with LCP is an effective treatment method in terms of union time and complications rate for tibial pilon fracture promoting early union and early weight bearing.
