Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis combined with locking compression plate in the treatment of distal tibial fracture

Abstract:

Objective：To observe clinical efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis（MIPPO） combined with locking compression plate（LCP） in the treatment of distal tibial fracture. Methods：Totally 20 patients with distal tibial fracture were treated by MIPPO combined with LCP from January 2009 to February 2011. The fracture healing，functional recovery and complication incidences were evaluated by clinical examination and radiographs. Results：All cases were followed up for 10-22 months（averaged 13 months）. All patients had bony union with an average recovery time of 16 weeks. No case of screw loose or fixation failure was observed；2 cases（10%） suffered from angles malunion（less than 7°）；6 cases（30%） suffered from claudication postoperatively；4 cases（20%） experienced the reduce of the motion range of the injured ankle by at least 20° than the other one；3 cases（15%） can not return to work；1 cases（5%） had infection at later stage，but cured after the treatment. According to Baird-Jackson scoring system，13 cases were graded as excellent，4 cases as good，2 cases as fair，1 case as poor and the excellent and good rate was 85%. Conclusion：With the advantages of minimally invasiveness，solid fixation，quick recovery and fewercomplications，MIPPO combined with LCP is effective in the treatment of distal tibial fracture thus need promoting in clinics.