The early management of severe tibial pilon fractures using a temporary ring fixator

The management of pilon fractures of the distal tibia is fraught with complications. Poor initial management leads to a poorer outcome. Protection of the soft tissue envelope is paramount and to achieve this objective early fracture reduction, restoration of leg length and elevation are important principles in the management of severe injuries. Reduction and restoration of length can be achieved through ligamentotaxis by various methods but the most commonly employed are calcaneal traction or bridging external fixation.

We describe our method for the early management of these injuries using a simple semicircular bridging frame.