Advances in Surgical Management of Schatzker III Tibial Plateau Fractures

Author(s): Weidong Gan, Yanheng Zhong, Bata Wang, Lin Zhou, Yongxin Lin

The tibial plateau Schatzker type Ⅲ fracture is a simple lateral collapse fracture, which is mainly seen in the low energy injuries of the knee joint in older patients with osteoporosis. The treatment options for this type of fracture are open reduction and internal fixation. Repairing the alignment of the collapsed joint surface and the tibial force line is the final goal of surgical treatment. Usually the choice of internal fixation is the combination of ship valve screw arrangement and support steel plate. Many authors recommend avoiding the use of simple hollow screws, especially in comminuted fractures with more severe joint defects, as this can easily lead to secondary collapse of the joint.(5)The traditional surgical method is an anterior-lateral approach with open reduction and internal fixation. Due to the long incision, large trauma, and poor medical compliance of the elderly, it is prone to complicated knee stiffness and traumatic arthritis. The surgical effect is not satisfactory.

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