Comparison of three internal fixation methods for distal femoral fractures of Müller types C2 and C3

Objective To compare 3 internal fixation methods for the treatment of distal femoral fractures of Muller types C2 and C3. Methods The clinical data of 58 patients were retrospectively analyzed who had been treated for distal femoral fractures of Muller types C2 and C3 at Department of Orthopaedic Trauma, Ningbo No. 6 Hospital from February 2013 to February 2017. They were divided into 3 groups according to the internal fixation method they had used. In the single incision locking plate group (group A) of 21 cases, there were 13 males and 8 females with an age of 50.6 years±12.9 years. In the double-incision locking plate combined with reconstruction plate group (group B) of 18 cases, there were 11 males and 7 females with an age of 53.5 years±13.0 years. In the single incision locking plate combined with reconstruction plate group(group C) of 19 cases, there were 10 males and 9 females with an age of 48.1 years±12.2 years. The 3 groups were compared in terms of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative C-arm fluoroscopy, fracture healing time, incidence of postoperative complications, range of motion of the knee and knee functional recovery. Results The 3 groups were compatible because there were no significant differences between them in their preoperative general data (P>0.05). There were no significant differences between groups in the frequency of C-arm fluoroscopy, follow-up time, or incidence of postoperative complications (P>0.05). The operation time in groups A and C (96.7 min±16.4 min and 101.9 min±16.5 min) and intraoperative blood loss for groups A and C (237.8 mL±47.5 mL and 253.6 mL±46.6 mL) were significantly less than in group B (114.9 min±20.1 min and 290.1 mL±60.9 mL) (P<0.05); the fracture healing time for groups B and C (6.9 months±1.6 months and 6.6 months±1.7 months) was significantly shorter than for group A (8.4 months±1.9 months) (P<0.05); the ranges of knee motion 12 months after operation in groups B and C (91.7°±16.7° and 90.9°±14.4°) were significantly larger than that in group A (78.8°±14.4°) (P<0.05); the excellent and good rates of knee function 12 months after operation in groups B and C [77.8% (14/18) and 73.7% (14/19)] were significantly higher than that in group A [57.1%(12/21)] (P<0.05). Conclusion In the treatment of distal femoral fractures of Muller types C2 and C3, application of lateral locking plate and additional anterior locking reconstruction plate via the anterolateral incision at the distal femur can achieve rigid fixation without much damage to the surrounding soft tissues and lead to fine functional recovery of the knee joint because it has the advantages of single incision locking plate and double incision medial and lateral locking plates. Key words: Femoral fractures; Fracture fixation, internal; Bone plates; Surgical approach