Management of open fractures of the tibial shaft

In a retrospective study of 98 open fractures of the tibial shaft, the end result was found to be most closely correlated with the severity of the initial injury. Comparison of six different forms of treatment (external immobilization, external immobilization with early weight bearing, pins and plaster immobilization, intramedullary fixation, multiple screw fixation and plate and screw fixation) did not indicate a superiority of any one method of management.