[Calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation with a locking compression plate (LCP). A...

In a prospective study of patients with calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction from an extensile lateral approach and LCP osteosynthesis, the authors evaluated the basic epidemiological data, mechanism of injury, type of fracture, essential data on surgery, days of hospital stay and the number of complications.

In the period from September 1, 2006 to July 31, 2010, a total of 230 patients with 243 calcaneal fractures were treated. The fractures were classified as either open or closed and according to the Essex-Lopresti system. Of the total number of patients, 135 (55.6 % of all fractures) were indicated for conservative treatment and 108 (44.4% of all fractures) for surgical intervention. Indications for surgery based on the generally accepted criteria enabled us to select 77 patients with 82 fractures (33.7 % of all fractures) for treatment by the method of open reduction and LCP osteosynthesis. These patients constituted the group evaluated here. The other patients were treated using other techniques (21 fractures, i.e., 8.6 % of all fractures, by the Stehlík-Štulík transfixation method and further five [2.1 %] by screw osteosynthesis). Six surgeons were involved in the treatment of this group. For the diagnosis of fractures, plain radiographs in lateral and axial projection and axial and coronal CT images were used. All fractures were treated after subsidence of oedema by the method of open reduction and LCP fixation from an extensile lateral approach, with the use of a tourniquet. The follow-up period for the evaluation of functional outcome and bone union was 3 to 48 months. Fifty patients were followed up for over one year.

The group evaluated comprised 58 men (75.3 %) with 63 fractures (76.8 %) and 19 women (24.7 %) with 19 fractures (23.2 %). The average age of the group was 42 years, with 41 years (range, 22-61 years) in men and 47 years (range, 30-70 years) in women. The most frequent cause of injury was a fall from a height below 1 metre and this was recorded in 38 patients (49.4 %); 18 patients (24.3 %) had a fall from a height below 3 metres. Eight fractures were caused by a fall from the window, seven calcaneal fractures, as part of .polytrauma, were sustained in road accidents (9.1 %) and six calcaneal bones were injured due to ankle sprain in walking on a flat surface (7.8 %). Bilateral fractures occurred in five (6.5 %) patients, the right and left heel bones were injured in 31 (40.3 %) and 41 (53.2 %) fracture cases, respectively. An open fracture was recorded on three occasions (3.7 %). Of the 82 evaluated fractures, 23 were type IIa fractures (28 %) and 59 were type IIb fractures (72 %) according to the Essex-Lopresti classification system. The average injury-surgery interval was 10 days (range, 1 - 23 days). The average operative time was 77 minutes (range, 45-175 min) and the average duration of tourniquet application was 61 minutes (range, 20-130 min). The average length of hospital stay was 18 days (range, 7-61 days). In 15 patients (18.3 % of osteosynthesis cases) wound healing was delayed. Deep wound infection developed in three cases (3.7 %); these required revision surgery which involved implant removal before bone union in two cases and healing of the wound after revision without implant removal in one case. A necrotic lesion in one case (1.2 %) was treated by muscle flap transfer. Complications which varied in type and severity were recorded in 22 % of the patients. The Rowe score was used to evaluate functional outcomes, which were excellent in 44 %, good in 46 %, satisfactory in 4 % and poor in 6 % of the surgically treated patients..

Only about one-third of the patients with calcaneal fractures were indicated for open LCP osteosynthesis. This is in agreement with the strict indication criteria established by the foreign authors with Professors Zwipp and Sanders at the head. It appears that this fracture chiefly occurs in the population of young active men (Kočiš reported only men and no woman with this fracture in his study). The authors focus on exact radiographic diagnosis including CT examination, as recommended by Stehlík and Štulík in their book. They recommend to use the Essex-Lopresti system for primary classification and, because of the frequency of LCP osteosynthesis procedures performed, also recommend to carry out this treatment in specialised institutions. The rate of serious complications in this study was relatively low and in accordance with the findings of Zwipp, Zeman and others.

The analysis of basic data on the group of patients with calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction and LCP fixation showed the following: chiefly young active men sustained this fracture; calcaneal fracture was usually due to a fall or jump from a level not too high; X-ray examination (lateral and axial projection) was sufficient to make a diagnosis; for a decision to operate it was useful to complete the diagnosis by CT examination; the prerequisite for minimising post-operative complications was strict adherence to the established indication criteria, surgery only after oedema had subsided and use of the correct surgical technique. The number of complications and their nature did not differ from the data reported by other authors.