title: The operative treatment of intra-articular fractures of the lower end of the tibia.
abstract: Intra-articular fractures of the lower end of the tibia are an interesting challenge. The best functional results in the past series were observed in patients treated according to the following 4 sequential principles: (1) reconstruction of the correct length of the fibula; (2) anatomical reconstruction of the articular surface of the tibia; (3) insertion of a cancellous autograft to fill gaps left by impaction and comminution; (4) stable internal fixation of the fragments by a plate placed on the medial aspect of the tibia. Seventy-five cases had a good or excellent late result (on average 6 years postoperatively) in 70% as compared to 43% to 55% in cases treated by closed and/or open methods.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016512:Ankle Injuries; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001860:Bone Plates; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012865:Skiing; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000601:surgery; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous