[Curative efficacies of mini-invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis versus supercutaneous plating for distal tibial
Xianfeng He1, Limei Zhu1, Jingwei Zhang1
1Department of Orthopedics, Ningbo No.6 Hospital, Ningbo 315040, China.
Objective:
To compare the clinical efficacies of mini-invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis (MIPO) versus supercutaneous plating with closed reduction in the treatment of distal tibial fractures.
Methods:
A total of 48 patients with close distal tibial fractures were treated between January 2010 and January 2012. The MIPO group included 16 males and 8 females with an average age of 36 years. And the types were A (n = 15), B (n = 6) and C (n = 3) according to the classification scheme of Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (AO/ASIF). The supercutaneous plating group also included 16 males and 8 females with an average age of 37 years. And the types were A (n = 15), B (n = 6) and C (n = 3). And the operative duration, hospital stay, union time, postoperative complications and function of ankle were compared between two groups.
Results:
The mean follow-up period was 18.5 (12-26) months. There was no instance of nonunion, hardware breakdown or deep infection. Patients in supercutaneous plating group had significantly shorter mean operative duration, hospital stay and union time. Three patients and 1 patient in MIPO group presented with superficial infection and delayed union respectively while there was no occurrence in supercutaneous plating group. And the differences were not statistically significant. Fifteen patients (62.5%) complained of implant impingement or discomfort. And stripping occurred at an incidence of 15.6% during the removal time of locking screws in MIPO group. While in supercutaneous plating group, there as no complaint of skin irritation and removal of supercutaneous plate was easily performed without anesthesia. The mean AOFAS score was 90.7 ± 3.8 in supercutaneous plating group versus 88.9 ± 4.1 in MIPO group (P = 0.070).
Conclusion:
Distal tibia fractures may be treated successfully with MIPO or supercutaneous plating. However, supercutaneous plating offers multiple advantages in terms of mean operative duration, hospital stay, union time, skin irritation and implant removal.
More Related Videos
11:21Development of a Novel Internal Fixation Model for Rat Radial Fractures: Fracture Healing Assessment and Dorsal Root Ganglion Isolation
Published on: March 13, 2026
15:11Surgical Fixation of Sternal Fractures: Preoperative Planning and a Safe Surgical Technique Using Locked Titanium Plates and Depth Limited Drilling
Published on: January 5, 2015
