Tension Band Wiring for Fracture Patella Outcome with 3 K Wire versus 2 K Wire

Abstract

Introduction: Fractures of the patella constitute almost 1% of all skeletal injuries, resulting from either direct or indirect trauma. Many forms of internal fixation for patellar fractures have been described in the literature but perfect anatomical reduction during surgery has an excellent outcome irrespective of the method of fixation used. The conventional method of patellar tension band wiring is always done with the help of two parallel Kirschner wires. Here, in our study, we intended to see whether the use of 3 parallel Kirschner wires in comparison to conventional one results in a superior functional outcome. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in ANIIMS and GB Pant hospital Port Blair from November 2016 to November 2019 on 44 patients of patellar fracture operated by tension band wiring with 22 patients in 2 parallel Kirschner wires and 3 parallel Kirschner wires groups respectively. Results: 44 patients were followed up postoperatively for 1 year and assessed by Lysholm knee score for pain status and working status and other variables. The mean age of the participants was 40.27 years (41.86 in two Kirschner wire group and 38.68 in three Kirschner wire group) in our study. Lysholm knee score, pain status, or working status was not significant throughout the mean follow-up periods for both groups. Conclusions: We found no significant difference between patellar TBW in 3 Kirschner wire and 2 Kirschner wire groups. However small sample size limits our study.