Figure 1. Lower extremity defect status post serial debridement. Exposed hardware can be seen. DESCRIPTION A 39-year-old male with an open wound of the left lower extremity complicated by exposed hardware following open reduction and internal fixation of a tibial plateau fracture.

PURPOSE To compare immediate interlocking nailing with external fixation followed by delayed interlocking nailing, for Gustilo type IIIB open tibial fractures. METHODS 23 patients with Gustilo IIIB open tibial fractures were treated with either immediate unreamed interlocking nailing (n=9) or external fixation followed by delayed unreamed interlocking nailing (n=14). Patient age, sex ratio, f...

PURPOSE To determine the role of qualitative cultures for detecting infection in open tibial fractures. METHODS From January 2003 to December 2004, 95 men and 13 women (mean age, 34 years) with open tibial fractures in one or both limbs and without any other sites of infection were prospectively studied. Patients who had been treated with intravenous or oral antibiotics before presentation an...

INTRODUCTION We aimed to present the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with tibial pilon fractures who were treated with hybrid external fixators. Shanz screws were applied synchronously and used as joysticks for fracture reduction. Radiological evaluations were conducted on roentgenograms at the second week, sixth week, third month and first year. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study ...

We report two cases of failed attempts at closed reduction of high-energy tibial fractures with an associated fibula fracture. The first case was a 39-year-old male involved in high-speed motorbike collision, while the second was a 14-year-old male who injured his leg following a fall of three metres. Emergency medical services at the scenes of the accidents reported a 90-degree valgus deformit...

The authors report the results of 1-stage external fixation using a locking plate in 116 tibial fractures (85 closed and 31 open). The patients were followed for an average of 22 months. The mean duration of surgery was 42 minutes. The mean fracture healing time was 12 weeks for proximal, 20 weeks for shaft, 14 weeks for distal, and 24 weeks for multisegmental tibial fractures. Nonunion, deep i...

A 44-year-old female with diabetes and end-stage renal disease suffered a nondisplaced medial tibial plateau fracture after a ground-level fall. After open reduction and internal fixation, her popliteal artery and vein occluded at the level of the fracture. Review of the noncontrast computed tomography scan completed on initial arrival to the emergency department revealed a fracture in the calc...

BACKGROUND Pin tract infection is a common complication of external fixation. It usually heals after treatment with debridement, antibiotics, and/or pin removal, only rarely developing into delayed osteomyelitis. We treated two patients with delayed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-induced osteomyelitis of the tibia following pin tract infection. CASE PRESENTATION One patient, a di...

Isolated posterolateral corner (PLC) injuries are rarely seen with tibial plateau fractures and can be missed during the initial assessment. The objective of this paper is to present a case of a Schatzker type 2 tibial plateau fracture with associated isolated PLC injury and give a discussion on physical exam, diagnostic studies, and treatment options. A twenty-five-year-old female sustained a ...

OBJECTIVE  To determine whether low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), compared with sham treatment, accelerates functional recovery and radiographic healing in patients with operatively managed tibial fractures. DESIGN  A concealed, randomized, blinded, sham controlled clinical trial with a parallel group design of 501 patients, enrolled between October 2008 and September 2012, and followe...