J Trauma
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Distal metaphyseal fractures of tibia: a prospective randomized trial of closed reduction and intramedullary nail versus open reduction and plate and screws fixation.
To compare closed intramedullary nailing with open plate and screw fixation and set the indications for each treatment modality in distal metaphyseal fractures of tibia, 64 consecutive cases of fractures that had been randomly treated with either method were prospectively followed up. ⋯ Our results have shown that locked intramedullary nails have an advantage in the duration of operation, restoration of motion, and reduced wound problems, and anatomic plate and screws can restore alignment better than intramedullary nails. It can be concluded from this study that intramedullary nails are recommended for fractures associated with soft-tissue damage of Tscherne C2 or higher. In other cases, the authors think that either treatment modality can yield expected results.