Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2024; 59(02): e206-e212
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1785203
Artigo Original
Asami

Treatment of Tibial Plateau Fractures with a Circular External Fixator: A Comparative Analysis of Two Assembly Methods

Article in several languages: português | English
1   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil
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1   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil
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1   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil
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2   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Posto Médico de Guarnição da 16ª Brigada de Infantaria de Selva, Exército Brasileiro, Tefé, AM, Brasil
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1   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil
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1   Serviço de Ortopedia e Traumatologia, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brasil
› Author Affiliations


Financial Support The authors declare that they did not receive funding from agencies in the public, private, or not-for-profit sectors for the conduction of the present study.
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Abstract

Objective To compare the functional outcomes of two circular external fixation techniques to treat complex fractures of the proximal end of the tibia.

Materials and Methods The present is a retrospective cohort study with 51 patients who underwent surgical treatment for complex fractures of the tibial plateau with a circular external fixator. There were two groups of patients: 12 subjects underwent treatment with the classic assembly technique, and 39 subjects underwent treatment with the simplified technique. The variables analyzed included age, sex, injury mechanism, trauma energy, associated injuries, fixator type, time of fixator use, and clinical-radiographic outcomes. The classic technique mainly uses transfixing Kirschner wires, while the simplified one replaces the Kirschner wires with Schanz pins in the distal block of the circular external fixator.

Result There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two groups concerning the clinical-radiographic outcomes, including fracture consolidation, quality of joint fracture reduction, range of motion, lower limbs residual discrepancy, and postoperative pain.

Conclusion We suggest that the simplified technique, using Schanz pins instead of Kirschner wires, can be a viable and effective alternative to treat complex fractures of the proximal end of the tibia with a circular external fixator. This simplified approach can offer benefits, such as a lower infection rate and greater patient comfort, without compromising clinical and radiographic outcomes, thus justifying its use.

Work developed at the Orthopedics and Traumatology Service, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.




Publication History

Received: 11 July 2023

Accepted: 06 November 2023

Article published online:
10 April 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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