Arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation (ARIF) of lateral tibial plateau fractures

Arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation of tibial plateau fractures has been well documented over the last 15 years. Better visualization, less traumatic surgery, reconstruction of accompanying injuries and early mobilization have encouraged arthroscopic surgeons to use this technique more widely. With experience, surgeons became more comfortable in using arthroscopy-assisted surgery not only in split fractures of the lateral tibial plateau (41-B1) but also in more complex tibial and femoral fractures. In this study, 31 patients with intra-articular fractures of the lateral tibial plateau were operated on between 1991 and 1996. The fractures were classified as follows: x12 AO-type B1, x7 B2, x10 B3, x2 C3. Diagnostic arthroscopy and repair of soft tissue injuries was followed by arthroscopic reduction in all patients and supplemented with internal fixation in 29 patients. Postoperatively, an aggressive physical therapy regimen was performed with immediate mobilization and early partial weight bearing. All patients were examined for follow-up after 15-32 months (mean 25.1). In all cases the fractures were stable and allowed full weight-bearing. At follow-up, 25 patients had anatomic reduction. Anatomical reduction cannot be restored in all cases of open reconstruction because of cartilage defects. Fracture reduction using arthroscopic techniques is a suitable alternative for joint fracture repair because additional soft tissue damage can be minimized.