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Updated: May 11, 2026
Creating Rigidly Stabilized Fractures for Assessing Intramembranous Ossification, Distraction Osteogenesis, or Healing of Critical Sized Defects
Published on: April 11, 2012
Outcomes of Schatzker II tibial plateau fracture open reduction internal fixation using structural bone allograft
Marschall B Berkes1, Milton T M Little, Patrick C Schottel
1*Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY; and †Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Manhattan, NY.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study is to report the rate of anatomic reduction, articular subsidence, and clinical outcomes for Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures treated with structural bone allografts.
Design:
This is a retrospective case series.
Setting:
Academic Level I Trauma Center.
Patients/Participants:
A trauma registry was used to identify 77 Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures.
Intervention:
Schatzker II tibial plateau fracture open reduction internal fixation and structural bone graft using either Plexur P (N = 29) or fibular allograft (N = 48).
Main Outcome Measurement:
The primary outcome was articular subsidence. Secondary outcomes included fracture malreduction and clinical outcomes including the Knee Outcome Survey Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Lower Extremity Functional Scale, and the Short Form (SF)-36.
Results:
No patients experienced subsidence > 2mm. This rate is significantly lower than published rates for autogenous iliac crest (30.3%, P < 0.0001) and calcium phosphate cement (8.7%, P = 0.0099). The rate of fracture malreduction was 11.7% (9/77); only 4 had more than 3 mm of residual incongruity. Average outcome scores were the following: Knee Outcome Survey Activities of Daily Living Scale, 81.7; Lower Extremity Functional Scale, 78.5; SF-36 physical component, 48.3; and SF-36 mental component, 53.1. There was no difference between patients treated with Plexur P or fibula with regard to the primary or secondary outcomes.
Conclusions:
The use of structural allograft resulted in a high rate of anatomic reduction and negligible rate of articular subsidence and good clinical outcomes in the treatment of this population of Schatzker II tibial plateau fractures. This compares favorably with historical results using nonstructural grafts.
Level Of Evidence:
Therapeutic level IV. See instructions for authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
