Staged Fixation with Respect to Soft Tissue in Tibial Plateau Fractures with Acute Compartment Syndrome: Correlation Analysis of Complications.

Backgroud: Staged operations are commonly employed in the management of high-energy tibial plateau fractures (TPF) complicated by acute compartment syndrome (ACS); however, complications, such as nonunion, deep wound infection, and traumatic arthritis, often occur due to severe bone and soft-tissue damage. We aimed to report the radiological and clinical outcomes of staged surgical interventions performed following complete closure of the fasciotomy wound for the treatment of TPF complicated by ACS. Additionally, we analyzed factors associated with complications arising from these procedures.

Methods: Thirty patients with TPF and ACS were included (23 men and 7 women; average age, 59.7 years). The mean follow-up period was 33.2 months (range, 12-85 months). An external fixator was initially applied with emergency fasciotomy, and open reduction and plate fixation were performed after complete closure of the fasciotomy wound and soft-tissue stabilization (mean, 31 days; range, 9-55 days). Radiological evaluation of bone union and alignment was conducted, functional evaluation of the knee and ankle joints was performed using the Knee Society and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores, and complications and related factors were analyzed.

Results: Primary bone union was achieved in 29 of the 30 cases (96.7%) at an average of 20.8 weeks (range, 12-35 weeks). Malalignment was not observed in any case. At the final follow-up examination, the mean Knee Society and AOFAS scores were 92.5 (range, 65-100) and 95.5 (range, 74-100), respectively. Complications included 1 case of nonunion (3.3%), 2 cases of deep wound infection (6.7%), and 5 cases of traumatic arthritis (16.7%). A statistically significant correlation was noted between complications and patients who underwent dual approaches for the fixation of bicondylar TPFs.

Conclusions: A staged operation coupled with sufficient soft-tissue healing can achieve excellent bone union and functional outcomes in patients with TPF and ACS. However, complications may occur more often in patients undergoing dual approaches for bicondylar TPFs, necessitating vigilant monitoring and management.