Treatment of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture involving the postero-lateral condyle with a medial support plate and a row of screws / 中华创伤骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of a medial support plate and a row of screws in the treatment of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture involving the postero-lateral condyle.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the data of 26 patients who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedic Trauma, Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University for Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture involving the postero-lateral condyle from December 2015 to December 2020. There were 17 males and 9 females, aged from 19 to 51 years (average, 36.1 years). All their fracture lines involved the postero-lateral condyle and all fractures were fixated with a medial support plate and a row of screws via one medial and one lateral incisions. Recorded were the operation time, hospital stay, blood loss, incision length, fracture healing, complications, quality of knee joint reduction and knee joint function at the last follow-up.Results:The length of hospital stay ranged from 8 to 16 days, averaging 10.4 days. The 26 patients were followed up for 8 to 18 months, with an average of 14.3 months. All the fractures got united after 11 to 17 weeks (average, 13.7 weeks). During the follow-up, no reduction loss, internal fixation failure or surgical complications were observed. Rasmussen radiographic scores at the last follow-up ranged from 11 to 18 points, averaging 16.1 points. The range of motion of the knee joint ranged from 0° to 140°, averaging 120.8°. The Rasmussen scores of the knee function ranged from 14 to 28 points, averaging 24.4 points.Conclusion:In the treatment of Schatzker type Ⅳ tibial plateau fracture involving the postero-lateral condyle, the use of a medial support plate and a row of screws can achieve satisfactory clinical results.