• Han-Jun Lee, Ho-Joong Jung, Eui-Chan Chang, Jae-Sung Lee, and Hyoung-Seok Jung.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chung-Ang University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2014 Apr 1;134(4):495-9.

Main ProblemTo evaluate cartilage healing using second-look arthroscopic examination in tibia plateau fracture patients who have undergone open reduction and internal fixation with a submeniscal approach technique.MethodsBetween January 2007 and January 2010, we used second-look arthroscopy during 18-24-month follow-up of 20 patients with Schatzkar type II tibial plateau fractures who had undergone open reduction and internal fixation with a submeniscal approach technique. We classified patients according to step-off, knee range of motion, and Knee Society Score, and compared the results with those obtained by arthroscopy.ResultsRadiologically, 16 cases (80 %) were reduced within 2 mm of step-off. In 11 of these cases, according to the Outerbridge classification, we checked for chondromalacia from grade II to III. We observed 2 mm of step-off in four cases, and each had chondromalacia of at least grade III. The Knee Society Score was associated with chondromalacia grade (p < 0.05).ConclusionEven in patients with normal joint range of motion and good clinical and radiological results, the actual condition of the articular cartilage varied significantly. Therefore, more long-term and regular follow-up is needed for proximal plateau fractures.

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