Lateral tibial plateau fracture as a postoperative complication of high tibial osteotomy

Fractures associated with valgus producing high tibial osteotomy are generally reported as operative complications which involve the medial proximal segment. Factors associated with this fracture at the time of surgery include forceful closure of the osteotomy after an inadequately perforated medial cortex, a proximal segment being less than 1.5cm in thickness, and osteotomes entering the medial compartment due to excessive bone loss. Three patients are reported with postoperative fracture of the lateral tibial plateau after tibial osteotomy. One patient's fracture was clearly due to trauma and the other two occurred in patients with a thin proximal segment.