Abstract：Objective To study the clinical efficacy of circular external fixator in treatment of the closed and comminuted proximal tibia fracture. Methods Twenty-five patients with closed and comminuted proximal tibia fracture, including 21 males and 4 females, who were admitted to this department from May 2010 to the corresponding time in 2012 were included in this retrospective analysis. The fracture of all these patients with a mean age at 44 years belonged to CⅡtype according to Tscherne classification while ten of them were classified into A3 type, nine into C2, six into C3 under OTA/AO fracture classification. All the patients were treated with Orthofix hybrid external fixator after closed reduction or limited open reduction. Results All the patients were followed up and the follow-up time was between 12 and 16 months, with an average of(13.4±3.5)months. Patients included in this research all gained bone union, however the time for full healing varied, ranging from 4 to 11 months, with a mean of six months. Four of the cases experienced needle reaction postoperatively, and were all healed by using antibiotics combined with local dressings therapy. Delayed union occurred in 2 cases and healed by bone autograft. The radiographical RRS assessment was performed during the final follow-up, which showed a 80% of the excellent rate. In addition, The excellent rate of HSS score was 84%. Conclusions Circular external fixator contributes to a satisfying outcome in treatment of the closed and comminuted proximal tibia fracture.
2014, Vol. 25 
