Treatment of the Distal Tibia and Fibular Fractures with Tibial Plate and Tibial Pro-Fibular Screws

The tibial plate with tibial pro-fibular screws is adapted to treat distal tibial fractures in elderly osteoporotic patients in the presence of insufficient bone stock for screw grip and in young individuals when separate fixation of tibia and fibula with two incisions carries the risk of soft tissue damage. In a retrospective study 15 distal tibia and fibula fractures in 14 patients were treated with tibial pro-fibular screw/plate fixation in a period of 6 year in two hospitals in Urmia-Iran. The cases were evaluated using the AOFAS scoring system. The mean time of follow-up was 28 months. All the fractured had uneventful union. Tibio-fibular synostosis occurred in 2 patients. The AOFAS scores were good (80-90 in points) in 7 and acceptable (70-80 points) in remaining 7 patients. No patient had gait or any walking problem. Fixation of comminuted distal tibia and fibular fractures with tibial pro fibular fixation in selective cases with osteoporosis or poor skin cordition is a useful technique.