Comparison of cannulated screwing versus plating in combination with interlocking intramedullary nailing for ipsilateral discontinuous fractures of tibial shaft and plateau / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the clinical effects between cannulated screwing and plating in combination with interlocking intramedullary nailing for the treatment of ipsilateral discontinuous fractures of the tibial shaft and plateau.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the clinical data of 34 patients who had been treated for ipsilateral discontinuous fractures of the tibial shaft and plateau at Department of Orthopedics and Trauma, Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University from January 2015 to January 2020. There were 17 males and 17 females, aged from 26 to 60 years (average, of 43.6 years). The left side was affected in 18 cases and the right side in 16. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their internal fixation methods: a cannulated screw group of 16 cases treated with cannulated screwing and intramedullary nailing and a plate group of 18 cases treated with plating and intramedullary nailing. The 2 groups were compared in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, incision length, tibial plateau collapse, consumables cost, hospital stay, fracture healing time, weight-bearing time, range of knee motion, reduction of tibial plateau fracture by Rasmussen radiology, Lysholm knee function score at the last follow-up and complications.Results:There was no significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing the 2 groups were comparable ( P>0.05). All the 34 patients were followed up for 12 to 28 months (average, 17.4 months). There was no significant difference either in operation time, hospital stay, tibial plateau healing time, tibial fracture healing time, weight-bearing time or range of knee motion between the 2 groups ( P>0.05). In the cannulated screw group, the intraoperative blood loss [(89.4 ± 14.5) mL] and consumables cost [(2.0 ± 0.2) ten thousand yuan] were significantly less than those in the plate group [(120.8 ± 22.1) mL and (2.6 ± 0.4) ten thousand yuan], the incision length [(4.1 ± 0.8) cm] was significantly shorter than that in the plate group [(7.1 ± 0.9) cm], and the Lysholm knee function score at the last follow-up [(89.8 ± 4.5) points] was significantly lower than that in the plate group [(93.0 ± 4.2 points] (all P<0.05). The difference was statistically significant between the 2 groups in the quality of tibial plateau reduction ( P<0.05). The postoperative tibial plateau collapse in the plate group [0.5 (0, 2) mm] was insignificantly less than that in the cannulated screw group [1.0 (0, 2) mm] ( P>0.05). In the cannulated screw group, one tibial shaft fracture did not achieve union after operation and deep vein thrombosis occurred in 2 cases after operation; in the plate group, 2 cases suffered from delayed wound healing, one from delayed fracture healing, one from deep venous thrombosis of lower extremity, and one from knee discomfort which was relieved after removal of internal fixation. Conclusions:In the treatment of ipsilateral discontinuous fractures of tibial shaft and plateau, both cannulated screwing and plating in combination with interlocking intramedullary nailing can achieve good clinical effects. Although plating in combination with intramedullary nailing lead to more severe trauma and higher costs, it is conducive to improving the reduction quality of the tibial plateau and postoperative functional recovery of the knee joint.