Modified posteromedial and posterolateral approaches for the treatment of posterior tibial plateau fractures

Abstract

Objective To observe the clinical outcomes of modified posteromedial and posterolateral approaches for the treatment of posterior tibial plateau fractures.Methods Between January 2006 and October 2011,25 patients with posterior tibial plateau fracture were identified.They were 17 men and 8 women,aged from 22 to 76 years (average,46.4 years).According to the AO/OTA classification,there were 4 cases of type 41-B1,6 cases of type 41-B2 and 15 cases of type 41-B3.According to Luo's three-column classification,they were all posterior column fractures.Ten patients with posterolateral tibial plateau fracture were treated by the modified posterolateral approach and the other 15 patients with posteromedial tibial plateau fracture by the modified posteromedial approach.The posterior fractures were fixated with a buttress plate.The knee function was evaluated at the last follow-up by the The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Score.Results All the 25 cases were followed up for a mean time of 13.2 months (from 10 to 24 months).By the radiological Rasmussen criteria for fracture reduction,the mean score immediately after surgery was 16.5 points (from 13 to 18 points),with 20 excellent cases,4 good cases and one fair case.All patients were pain-free with full range of motion.Radiologically,bone union was achieved in all cases after a mean time of 13.9 weeks (from 12 to 18 weeks).No surgery-related complications were found.The mean HSS score was 91 points(range,74 to 97 points) and the good to excellent rate was 100％ (17 excellent and 8 good cases) at the last follow-up.The average range of knee motion ranged from 0° to 125°.Conclusion In the treatment of posterior tibial plateau fractures,because the modified posteromedial and posterolateral approaches can result in excellent fracture reduction under direct visualization and allow for posterior buttress plating,soft tissues can be well preserved and good functional results can be expected. Key words: Tibial fractures; Fracture fixation, internal; Bone plates; Procedures approach