Treatment outcomes of buttress plating in treatment of posterior pilon fractures / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To retrospectively assess clinical outcomes of buttress plating in fixation of posterior pilon fractures.Methods The study involved 16 cases of posterior pilon fractures that had undergone buttress plate fixation between January 2005 and December 2009.There were 11 males and 5 females,at mean age of 37.6 years (range,23-62 years).All cases received radiography,CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction preoperatively.Posterior malleolar fragments were reduced and fixed through posterolateral approach or combined approach (posteromedial plus posterolateral approaches) based on effect area of fracture line on CT films.Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed in postoperative follow-up.Clinical outcomes were evaluated by American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and visual analogue scale (VAS).Results Posterior pilon fractures were classified into 3 types according to CT scans.Fourteen cases were followed up for average 37.6 months (range,16-52 months).Mean AOFAS score was 86.4 points (range,70-98 points) and mean VAS score was 1.4 points (range,0-3 points).All cases received favorable functional outcomes without hardware failure,except that one patient still suffered from peri-ankle swelling and long term walking discomfort two years after operation.Conclusion Buttress plating is effective in treatment of posterior pilon fractures and can facilitate early weight-bearing functional exercise.