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Original Article

Fractures of the Distal Tibia Treated with Polyaxial Locking Plating

Hong Gao¹, Chang-Qing Zhang¹, Cong-Feng Luo¹, Zu-Bin Zhou¹ and Bing-Fang Zeng¹

(1)	Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, Jiaotong University, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai, 200233, People’s Republic of China

Received: 25 February 2008 Accepted: 4 August 2008 Published online: 22 August 2008

Abstract We evaluated the healing rate, complications, and functional outcomes in 32 adult patients with very short metaphyseal fragments in fractures of the distal tibia treated with a polyaxial locking system. The average distance from the distal extent of the fracture to the tibial plafond was 11 mm. All fractures healed and the average time to union was 14 weeks. Six patients (19%) reported occasional local disturbance over the medial malleolus. There were two cases of postoperative superficial infections and evidence of delayed wound healing. Using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle score, the average functional score was 87.3 points (of 100 total possible points). Our results show the polyaxial locking plates, which offer more fixation versatility, may be a reasonable treatment option for distal tibia fractures with very short metaphyseal segments.

Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved or waived approval for the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research.

Hong Gao
Email: honggao630@yahoo.com.cn

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