Outcome Assessment of Ankle Spanning External Fixator with Limited Internal Fixation for Distal Tibial Extra Articular Fractures

Abstract

Background: Road traffic accident claims the lives of almost 1.35 million individuals every year. Because of its subcutaneous arrangement, long bones, particularly the tibia, are usually fractured in these accidents. Since the late 1980s, external fixation with moderate interior fixation has increased. Extra-articular distal tibia fractures generally result from complex, high-energy trauma, which frequently includes accompanying fibular fractures and soft tissue injuries. Method: This is a Hospital-based Prospective Interventional type of study, which include 54 patients, all patients were included in the study of the Orthopaedic department of S.M.S. (Sawai Man Singh) Medical College and attached hospitals in Jaipur Rajasthan, India. The most common trauma mode was road traffic accidents between October-2018 to march-2021. Results: External fixation was used on all fifty-four patients, with or without limited internal fixation. Thirty-eight (70%) of the fifty-four fractures were open, while sixteen (third) were closed. After the operation, the fractures healed in an average of 15.5 weeks. Although none of the patients received bone grafting during the initial treatment of the fracture, twelve patients had bone grafting six weeks after the initial treatment. Mazur’s scoring, modified by Teeny and Wiss, was used to score ankle functions. Angulation of more than 5 degrees is a sign of malunion. Conclusion: External fixation with or without limited internal fixation is an additional option for treating extra-articular distal tibial fractures. Open reduction and plate osteosynthesis have similar union rates.