Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Jan 14, 2022; 10(2): 502-510
Published online Jan 14, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i2.502
Locking compression plate + T-type steel plate for postoperative weight bearing and functional recovery in complex tibial plateau fractures
Hai-Feng Li, Tao Yu, Xing-Fei Zhu, Hua Wang, Ying-Qi Zhang
Hai-Feng Li, Tao Yu, Xing-Fei Zhu, Ying-Qi Zhang, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
Hua Wang, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Zhabei Central Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai 200070, China
Author contributions: Li HF and Yu T designed this retrospective study, Li HF, Yu T and Zhu XF wrote this paper; Li HF, Yu T, Zhu XF, Wang H and Zhang YQ were responsible for sorting the data.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Tongji Hospital Institutional Review Board.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hai-Feng Li, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, No. 389 Xincun Road, Shanghai 200065, China. lihaifeng501@163.com
Received: September 9, 2021
Peer-review started: September 9, 2021
First decision: October 18, 2021
Revised: October 24, 2021
Accepted: December 3, 2021
Article in press: December 3, 2021
Published online: January 14, 2022
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Tibial plateau fracture has a serious impact on the movement and function of the knee joint, resulting in serious dysfunction. The clinical application of locking plate can not only reduce soft tissue injury, but also reduce the occurrence of postoperative necrosis, but the stability of articular surface of locking plate can not be guaranteed. In this study, locking compression plate (LCP) and T-shaped plate were used to treat complex tibial plateau fractures, in order to find a more reliable method of internal fixation for clinic.

Research motivation

This study compared the difference between bilateral common plate support and LCP+ T plate limited internal fixation. Bilateral common plate peeling during operation can make the operative visual field more clearly exposed and expose the articular surface. Through omni-directional exploration of articular surface and ligament meniscus injury, it can further improve the disadvantage of too short distance between predetermined incision line and auxiliary incision line in bilateral incision of knee joint.

Research objectives

This study aimed to explore a surgical method for the treatment of complex tibial plateau fractures with less trauma, faster postoperative recovery and fewer postoperative complications

Research methods

Operation time, blood loss, anterior external incision length, intraoperative bone graft volume, postoperative drainage volume, hospitalization duration, fracture healing time, complete weight-bearing time, Rasmussen score, tibial plateau varus angle, tibial plateau retroversion angle, and postoperative complications at different points after surgery in the two groups were assessed and compared.

Research results

In our study, operation time and intraoperative bone graft volume in the study group was less in the study group than in the control group, indicating that LCP + T-type steel plate limited internal fixation for complex tibial plateau fractures can shorten the operation time and reduce intraoperative bone graft. LCP + T-type steel plate limited internal fixation for the treatment of complex tibial plateau fractures can reduce the incidence of postoperative complications.

Research conclusions

LCP + T-type steel plate limited internal fixation treatment has the advantage of less trauma and enables early postoperative functional exercise to promote functional recovery and lower limb weight-bearing besides being associated with less postoperative complications.

Research perspectives

It is necessary to expand the sample size, conduct long-term follow-up, and carry out prospective trials for an in-depth demonstration of the superiority of LCP + T-type steel plate limited internal fixation over bilateral ordinary steel plate support in the treatment of complex tibial plateau fractures.