Journal of orthopaedic trauma
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Evaluate whether supplementary fibular fixation helped maintain axial alignment in distal metaphyseal tibia-fibula fractures treated by locked intramedullary nailing. ⋯ In this study, the proportion of fractures that lost alignment was smaller among those receiving stabilization of the fibula in conjunction with IM nailing compared with those receiving IM nailing alone. Adjunctive fibular stabilization was associated significantly with the ability to maintain fracture reduction beyond 12 weeks. At the present time, the authors recommend fibular plating whenever IM nailing is contemplated in the unstable distal tibia-fibular fracture.
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A case of an angulated, greenstick fracture of the scapula mimicking scapular winging in a skeletally immature 12-year-old boy is described. The bony deformity was visualized with plain radiography. ⋯ Closed reduction yielded satisfactory results. Based on this 1 case only, we recommend consideration of closed reduction in children with significantly angulated greenstick fractures of the scapula without underlying thoracic pathology.
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To measure the failure rate of percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation of vertically unstable pelvic fractures and particularly to test the hypothesis that fixations in which the posterior injury is a vertical fracture of the sacrum are more likely to fail than fixations with dislocations or fracture-dislocations of the sacroiliac joint. ⋯ Percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation is a useful technique in the management of vertically unstable pelvic fractures, but a vertical sacral fracture should make the surgeon more wary of fixation failure and loss of reduction.
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Review Meta Analysis
Treatment of distal tibia fractures without articular involvement: a systematic review of 1125 fractures.
The management of unstable distal tibia fractures remains challenging. The mechanism of injury and the prognosis of these fractures are different from pilon fractures, but their proximity to the ankle makes the surgical treatment more complicated than the treatment tibial midshaft fractures. A variety of treatment methods have been suggested for these injuries, including nonoperative treatment, external fixation, intramedullary nailing, and plate fixation. However, each of these treatment options is associated with certain challenges. Nonoperative treatment may be complicated by loss of reduction and subsequent malunion. Similarly, external fixation of distal tibia fractures may result in insufficient reduction, malunion, and pin tract infection. Intramedullary nailing can be considered the "gold standard" for the treatment of tibial midshaft fractures, but there are concerns about their use in distal tibia fractures. This is because of technical difficulties with distal nail fixation, the risk of nail propagation into the ankle joint, and the discrepancy between the diaphyseal and metaphyseal diameter of the intramedullary canal. Open reduction and internal plate fixation results in extensive soft tissue dissection and may be associated with wound complications and infections. The optimal treatment of unstable distal tibia without articular involvement remains controversial. ⋯ This study was designed to review the outcomes of different treatment methods for extra-articular distal tibia fractures. The English literature was systematically reviewed and the rates of malunion, nonunion, infection, fixation failure, and secondary surgical procedures were extracted.
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Despite their frequent occurrence, there is little clinical or biomechanical data associating the status of the fibula with any injury pattern of the tibial plafond. Similarly, the integrity of the fibula is not assessed in the commonly used tibial pilon fracture classification schemes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the radiographic severity of tibial pilon injuries with fibular fractures compared with those without fibular fractures by using a rank-order method. ⋯ This study demonstrates that, overall, tibial pilon injuries with fibular fractures were statistically ranked as more radiographically severe than those without fibular fractures. Fibular fractures are more commonly associated with C-type injuries than B-type injuries. There was no difference in severity in C-type injuries with or without fibular fractures; however, C-type injuries were ranked, as a group, significantly more radiographically severe than B-type injuries.