Distal tibia metaphyseal fractures treated with minimally invasive percuatneous plate osteosynthesis

Background: Tibia is the most commonly fractured bone amongst all long bones of the body. Fractures of the distal tibia are unique as the bone is subcutaneous with decreased muscular cover and decreased vascularity. Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis is a technique which is based upon the principles of limited soft tissue stripping, maintenance of the osteogenic fracture hematoma, and preservation of vascular supply to the individual fracture fragments while restoring the axial and the rotational alignment, and providing sufficient stability. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Orthopaedics, Navodaya Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Raichur between the period Dec 2019 to Oct 2021. In this study, 30 patients with Distal Tibia Metaphyseal fracture were admitted at Navodaya Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Raichur and examined according to protocol. The patients underwent Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis with Locking Compression plate. All cases were assessed using the IOWA ankle score and TEENY WISS radiological scoring. Results: The average fracture healing time was 16 weeks (range 12–20 weeks). According to the IOWA ankle score, excellent results were found in 16 (53%) patients, Good results were found in 11(37%) patients and fair results were found in 3(10%) patients. Superficial infection occurred in 5 patients (16%), no cases of deep infection, implant failure and malunion. Conclusion: Minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis proves to be a safer technique in the management of Distal tibia metaphyseal fractures by providing good fracture healing, enabling rapid functional recovery, and avoiding major skin complications.