Background
Treatment of distal tibial fractures is often challenging and fraught with complications. Minimally invasive plating is thought to overcome complications associated with open plating and intramedullary fixation in the distal third of the tibia.
Patients and methods
Thirty consecutive patients with extra-articular fractures involving the distal third of the tibia were classified according to the Muller-Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) classification and treated with minimally invasive plating using the anatomical distal plate. In nine cases, the locked anatomical distal plate was used, whereas in 21 cases the conventional nonlocked anatomical distal plate was used.
Results
All cases showed union at a maximum of 16 weeks, except four cases: two had delayed union, one had plate failure that ended in deep infection, and there was a case of nonunion. Overall, the mean time to union was 17 weeks (range: 6–60 weeks). The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle scoring system scored an average of 92.4 points (range: 72–100 points).
Conclusion
This technique minimizes the soft-tissue complications and provides a good functional outcome for patients with extra-articular distal tibial fractures within a reasonable period of time.
Level of evidence
The present study was a level IV case series.