Comparison of locking compression plate and intramedullary nail in staged treatment of open tibial fractures

Abstract

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of locking compression plate (LCP) versus intramedullary nail in staged treatment of complex compound tibial fractures.Methods From February 2008 to January 2013,55 cases of complex tibial open fracture were treated at our department.They were 39 men and 16 women,with an average age of 32.5 years (from 17 to 72 years).The fractures were on the left side in 24 patients,on the right side in 28 and both sides in 3.By Gustilo classification,18 fractures were type Ⅰ,24 type Ⅱ and 16 type ⅢA; by AO classification,6 fractures were type 42-A,32 type 42-B,and 20 type 42-C.They were treated by external fixation and vacuun sealing drainage (VSD) at the primary stage followed by fixation with LCP or intramedullary nail at the secondary stage.Locking intramedullary nail was used in 32 patients (34 fractures) and LCP in 23 patients (24 ffractures).The 2 groups were compared in terms of fracture healing time,functional recovery of the affected limbs,and postoperative complications.Results The 55 patients were followed up for 12 to 34 months (average,18 months).All the fractures were healed from 16 to 48 weeks after the staged treatment,with an average of 24.2±5.3 weeks in the intramedullary nail group and 26.1 ± 7.2 weeks in the LCP group.There was no significant difference in the healing time between the 2 groups (P ＞ 0.05).According to the functional assessment by the Johner-Wruhs system,the intramedullary nail group had 13 excellent cases,18 good ones and 3 fair ones (the excellent to good rate,91.2％) while the LCP group had 9 excellent,12 good and 3 fair ones (the excellent to good rate,87.5％),showing no significant between-group difference (P ＞ 0.05).There was no significant difference either between the 2 groups regarding the postoperative complication rate [20.6％ (7/34) for the intramedullary nail group versus 12.5％ (3/24) for the LCP group] (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion In the staged treatment of complex open tibia fractures,both intramedullary nail and LCP can result in reliable fixation of the fracture ends,a low complication rate and thus satisfactory clinical efficacy. Key words: Tibial fractures; Fractures, open; External fixator; Bone nails; Bone plates