Arthroscopic management of tibial plateau fractures: an unselected series

The present series reports the results of arthroscopically assisted fixation of tibial plateau fractures. No effort was made to include or exclude any specific fracture type from the all-arthroscopic reduction technique. Fourteen of 17 tibial plateau fractures treated arthroscopically, with an average follow-up of 14.6 months (range, 5-30 months), were retrospectively evaluated. The average patient age was 43 years (range, 25-65 months). The average knee range of motion obtained was 5 degrees-126 degrees, with 9 of 14 patients regaining full symmetric motion. The Lysholm scale was administered to this group with 5 (36%) receiving an excellent rating, 6 (43%) receiving a good rating, and 3 (21%) receiving a poor rating. Two patients experienced complications: one had painful hardware requiring removal, and the other had an infection that resolved after appropriate treatment. The present report advances the treatment of tibial plateau fractures by documenting the feasibility of the arthroscopic management of many fracture types.