Treatment of tibia open fractures with external fixator

ABSTRACT

Tibia shaft fractures are the most common long bone fractures in the body and its treatment is controversial. One of methods of treatment is external fixator. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment of open tibia fractures by external fixator in Babol. This quasi-experimental study was performed on 106 patients suffering from tibial open fractures treated with external fixator in Babol hospitals from 1991-2003. After admission, patients underwent irrigation and wound debridment and then the external fixator was fixed, Patients were visited regularly and serial radiography was done to control complications for one year and then complications were recorded. In this study 90.5% of injuries caused by traffic accident. Fracture had healed in 98.1% of patients for an average of 4 months. Complications were as follows pin tract infection in 24% of patients, chronic osteomyelitis in 2 cases, pin loosening in 5.7%, peroneal nerve injury in 4.7% and nonunion in 1.9%. The results showed that external fixator could be reliable method for treatment of tibial open fractures