TIBIAL TUBERCLE FRACTURES IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Background: Tibial tubercle fractures are uncommon sports related injuries. Only small series are reported in the literature. The purpose of this study is to report patient characteristics, fracture types, treatment methods, and clinical outcomes of children and adolescents treated for tibial tubercle fractures. Methods: Patients age 18 and under treated for tibial tubercle fractures at a single institution from 1995 to 2015 were identified and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were reported for patients with minimum follow up of 6 months. Results: Two-hundred thirty-six tibial tubercle fractures were identified in 228 patients, 198 (86%) of whom were males. Mean age was 14.3 years (range 7.7-17.6). Mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.0 (range 16.1-38.9). Osgood-Schlatter disease was identified in 72 (31%) cases and was most commonly associated with type I fractures (p<0.001). Two-hundred and three fractures (86%) occurred while participating in athletics, most commonly basketball (87, 43%). Thirty percent of fractures occurred while landing, 26% resulted from a direct blow to the leg, and 22% occurred while jumping. Type III fractures were most common (96, 41%) followed by type I fractures (67, 29%). Initial treatment was surgical for 157 (67%) fractures. Type I fractures were most commonly treated non-operatively (91%) and types II-V fractures were most commonly treated surgically (89%, p<0.001). Operative fractures were associated with higher BMI z-scores (mean 1.16, p=0.05) than those treated non-operatively. Compartment syndrome was identified in 4 (2%) patients, 3 of which were had type IV fractures. Eighty-eight percent of patients returned to sports. Among those treated operatively, 55% had hardware removed and 7% developed post-operative infection. At last follow up, 45% of surgical patients reported pain on palpation at the tibial tubercle and 26% reported pain with squatting. Conclusions: Tibial tubercle fractures are sports related injuries and occur most commonly in adolescent males. They are associated with Osgood-Schlatter disease, a higher than average BMI, and a small but relevant risk of compartment syndrome, particularly in type IV fractures. Whether treated surgically or non-surgically, most patients return to sports despite a high incidence of post-treatment pain at the tibial tubercle.