purpose. To review 28 cases of paediatric triplane fractures of the distal tibia over a 7-year period in a tertiary paediatric hospital. Methods. Records of 21 boys and 7 girls aged 11 to 15 (mean, 13) years presented with triplane fractures of the left (n=14) and right (n=14) ankles were retrospectively reviewed. results. Injury mechanism included low-energy trauma (n=10) and moderate-energy trauma (n=18). Fractures were 2-part in 20 patients, 3-part in 6, and 4-part in 2. 11 patients had concomitant fibular fractures. Articular displacement was <2 mm in 17 patients and ≥2 mm in 11 patients. 17 patients were treated conservatively (cast immobilisation); 11 were treated surgically by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (n=1), open reduction and percutaneous pinning (n=5), closed reduction and internal fixation (n=3), or open reduction and internal fixation (n=2). Transepiphyseal partially threaded cannulated screws were used for fixation. The mean period of casting was 5.8 weeks, and the mean nonweight bearing period was 6.1 weeks. The mean follow-up period was 14.2 (range, 9-20) weeks. All patients had excellent outcome. No patient had any infections, delayed or non-union. Six patients had decreased range of motion and 4 had pain 4 weeks after cast removal. conclusion. Treatment outcome of triplane fractures of the distal tibia in children is good when guidelines are closely adhered to.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.