title: Endstage arthritis following tibia plateau fractures: average 10-year follow-up.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with tibial plateau fractures are believed to have an increased risk for posttraumatic arthritis that may require reconstructive surgery. The incidence of this problem is, however, unknown. We sought to determine the average 10-year incidence of posttraumatic arthritis necessitating reconstructive surgery following tibia plateau fractures.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from our orthopedic trauma database to identify patients with operatively treated tibia plateau fractures. Their cases were cross-referenced with the data from our province's administrative health database and tracked overtime for the performance of reconstructive knee surgery. The average follow-up was 10 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 311 tibial plateau fractures treated at our institution between 1987 and 1994. The 10-year Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for the primary outcome of endstage arthritis was 96%. Analysis of the secondary outcome measure, specifically surgeries for what was thought to be "minor arthritis," revealed a 10-year Kaplan-Meier survival of 87%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings may be used to counsel patients who require surgical treatment of tibia plateau fractures about the long-term risk of requiring reconstructive knee surgery for endstage arthritis in the knee.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre, Abbotsford, BC. rmehin@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mehin
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Broekhuyse
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blachut
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001178:Arthroplasty / Q000379:methods; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001955:British Columbia; D015984:Causality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D057072:Intra-Articular Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000379:methods; D011859:Radiography; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult