Cleavage Intercondylar Fracture of the Distal Femur: A Report of Two Cases From Uttarakhand, India

Intraarticular knee fractures are important injuries and require optimal management for good outcomes. Cleavage fractures are rare variants that present with an undisplaced fracture involving a small area in the intercondylar region of the distal femur. These fractures neither propagate into the metaphysis nor involve any distal femoral condyle (medial or lateral). Their occurrence is limited to a few sporadic reports, and not much is available in the medical literature. We hereby report our experience with two cases, one of a young adult and one of an adolescent. Most of these fractures are successfully managed by non-operative methods, just as in our adult patient. The adolescent patient was managed by minimal-invasive cannulated screw fixation along with the ipsilateral proximal femoral fixation. Excellent healing and full return of function were reported in both cases, in follow-ups of nine and eleven months, respectively.