Percutaneous screw fixation of tibial plateau fractures

A series of 13 patients with displaced fractures of the tibial plateau treated by closed reduction and percutaneous pinning have been reviewed 17 months after surgery. All the operations were performed using image intensification to aid reduction of the fracture by ligamentotaxis and to guide screw placement. In two cases, arthroscopy was used in addition to facilitate elevation of the articular surface using a probe inserted through a cortical window in the proximal tibial metaphysis. The postoperative rehabilitation programme consisted of early mobilization and non-weight bearing for at least 2 months. Of the patients, 11 had a satisfactory result, one patient had a fair result with persistent pain and the other had a poor result when the fixation failed in a comminuted bicondylar fracture in porotic bone. This technique is minimally invasive and avoids many of the complications of both conservative and operative treatment and will have an expanding role to play in the management of these fractures.