Lower leg fractures treated with an external fixator at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the Clinical Hospital Center of Kosovska Mitrovica

Abstract

IIntroduction: Fractures of the lower leg are frequent fractures of long bones that are of great importance in traumatology. The role of external fixation (SF) as a type of surgical treatment is significant and widely applied. There are 3 methods of using SF to treat tibial fractures: SF as primary and definitive treatment, SF combined with internal fixation, and conversion of SF to internal fixation. Objective: To show the possibilities of SF as a definitive way of treating lower leg fractures. Methods: In our paper, we analyzed 254 lower leg fractures treated with SF according to Mitković M20, which were treated at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of CHC Kosovska Mitrovica. This series included 172 men or 68% of the total number of patients, and 83 or 32% women. Results: The average age of patients treated with this method is between the third and fourth decades of life. Falling on the leg with twisting of the table or the entire lower part of the leg is the most common type and cause of injuries in 69%. A closed lower leg fracture was diagnosed in 220 patients (A AO 59.%, B AO 26% and C AO 15%). Adequate position of the bone fragments was achieved by the closed reposition method in 190 (%), the average healing time was 18.4 weeks. In 93% of patients, we achieved bone union. Conclusion: The simple placement technique, the simplicity of the instrumentation, the wide range of indications where SF can be used, have led to the fact that it is a type of surgical treatment of great importance for lower leg fractures in small areas.