Objectives: To determine whether patients with AO/OTA 43-B anterior impaction tibial plafond fractures have worse clinical outcomes, and an increased risk of progression to ankle arthrodesis.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Level 1 academic trauma center.
Patients: One hundred sixty-eight patients were included in the study, all of whom had tibial plafond fractures.
Intervention: Study patients underwent external fixation and/or open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) as indicated by fracture/injury pattern.
Main outcome measurements: Arthrodesis rate.
Results: AO 43-B Anterior impaction tibial plafond fractures have an increased risk of progression to arthrodesis when compared to AO 43-B nonanterior impaction type fractures (19.4% vs 8%).
Conclusions: AO 43-B anterior impaction tibial plafond fractures have a worse clinical outcome compared to AO 43-B nonanterior impaction fractures. These fractures also confer increased risk of progression to arthrodesis.
Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.
Keywords: OTA 43-B fractures; OTA 43-C fractures; impaction; outcome; tibial plafond fractures.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.