This study aims to compare the clinical outcomes of the nickel-titanium arched shape-memory alloy connector (hereafter referred to as the ASC) and tension band fixation for the treatment of transverse patellar fractures. We retrospectively analyzed a total of 257 patients with transverse patellar fractures who were treated at our emergency orthopaedics department from March 2010 to March 2017. Either an ASC or the Kirschner wire (K-wire) tension band had been used to treat these fractures according to surgeons' experience and preference. We compared operative details, postoperative recovery, and postoperative knee function at 6 months. In terms of surgical duration, blood loss, incision length, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications, patients in the ASC group showed significantly better results than patients in the K-wire group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of fracture healing time, knee mobility, and the Boström score at the postoperative 6-month evaluation (p > 0.05). Though, there were similar functional outcomes between two groups whose transverse patellar fractures were different methods, we found that the ASC method was a more reliable, more minimally invasive, and safer treatment option than the tension band wiring method using K-wires, resulting in less tissue damage, shorter surgical duration, shorter length of hospital stay, and fewer complications.
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