Arthroscopy- assisted surgery for tibial plateau fractures

Like other intra-articular fractures, the tibial plateau fracture is challenging for orthopedic surgeons because of its severity of trauma, associated soft tissue injuries. Open reduction incurs serious complications, especially wound healing after traditional dissections. Unsatisfactory results often occur in complex or bicondylar tibial plateau fractures. Traditional surgical methods achieved satisfactory results in 70-80% of cases. However, these methods have a high incidence of complications including loss of reduction, infection, and septic arthritis. The advantages of arthroscopy-assisted reduction and internal fixation include direct visualization of intra-articular fracture, accurate fracture reduction, and reduced morbidity. It is straightforward in the diagnosis and treatment of meniscal and ligamentous injuries, and removal of loose fragments. Good early to medium-term results of arthroscopically assisted osteosynthesis of tibial plateau fractures have been reported. The author reviews the current surgical principles, pitfalls, approaches, clinical results, and complications of arthroscopyassisted surgery for tibial plateau fractures.