Mid-Term Radiological and Functional Outcomes of Bicondylar Tibial Plateau Fractures Managed with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation Using Dual Plates

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the mid-term radiological and functional outcome of tibial plateau fractures treated by plating. Methods: Patients with Schatzker type V and type VI tibial plateau fractures who were managed with open reduction and internal fixation using dual plates were included in this retrospective study. The functional evaluation of the patients was carried out with the visual analogue scale (VAS), the health-related quality of life status was measured using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the dimensions of pain, stiffness and function were assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC). For the radiological outcome evaluation, the modified Rasmussen criteria were used. Results: 57 patients (30 male and 27 female) were included in the study with a mean follow-up of 50.88 months. There were 23 Schatzker type V and 34 Schatzker type VI fractures. The majority of patients (86%) had a good to excellent radiological outcome. The mean VAS score was 1.65 for all the patients. The functional outcome was excellent in the majority of the patients. Among them, 5.3% (n = 3) suffered wound infection and all of the wounds healed after different treatments. All patients returned to their pre-injury activities of daily living and employment status, while 53% of the patients returned to sporting activities. Conclusion: Our findings support previous literature, which has demonstrated that bicondylar tibial plateau fractures can provide good to excellent radiological and functional outcomes if they were treated with open reduction and internal fixation with dual plating.
 Keywords: tibial plateau fracture; bicondylar fracture; Schatzker classification; dual plating