Keywords
Tibia plateau
Schatzker type
Abstract
Introduction: Tibia plateau fractures which
represents 1-2% of all fractures are uncommon
injuries of the proximal tibia often resulting from axial
compressive forces either alone or combined with
varus or valgus stress on the knee joint. These injuries
are of varied severity and are often associated with
soft tissue injuries.
The purpose of this study was to ascertain the injury
types or class, mechanism of injury and injuries
associated with tibia plateau fractures in patients
presenting for care in our institution.
Methods: An 8-year (2013-2020) retrospective
investigation was carried out on consecutive patients
with tibia plateau fractures who were managed at
the University College Hospital, Ibadan in South-West
Nigeria.
Result: During the period of study, a total of 32 adults
had tibia plateau fractures with 84.4% males and
15.6% females and the 20-40 year age group were
the most affected. The commonest mechanism of
injury was from motorcycle accident and the left tibia
plateau was the most frequently affected (68.8%).
Isolated injuries were recorded in 53% of the patients,
whereas 46.1% had varied associated injuries.
Schaztker type VI was the most common injury, while
types II and III were the least common. Chi square
test revealed no correlation between fracture types
and age (p-value0.653), as well as the type of
treatment offered (p-value 0.112)and 59.4% had non
operative care. In addition, 46.9% had knee
arthrofibrosis, whilst 21.8% still had knee pain after
8 years and 31.3% were lost to follow-up.
Conclusion: Our study showed that men in the 20-
40 year age range are the most affected with
Schatzker VI being the commonest type of tibia
plateau injuries. There was no correlation between
fracture type and age, as well as the treatment
modality offered.
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