BackgroundExtra-articular proximal tibial fractures account for 5–11 % of all tibial shaft fractures. In recent years, closed reduction and minimally invasive plating and multidirectional locked intramedullary nailing have both become widely used treatment modalities for proximal and distal tibial metaphyseal fractures. This study was performed to compare plating and nailing options in proximal tibia extra-articular fractures.Materials and methodsThis randomized prospective clinical study was conducted on 58 skeletally mature patients with a closed extra-articular fracture of the proximal tibia treated with minimally invasive proximal tibial plating (PTP) or intramedullary nailing (IMN) by trained surgeons at a tertiary trauma center.ResultsPostoperative hospital stay (p = 0.035), time to full weight-bearing, and union time (p = 0.004) were significantly less in the IMN group than in the PTP group, but there was no clear advantage of either technique in terms of operative time (p = 0.082), infection rate (p = 0.738), range of motion of the knee (p = 0.462), or degrees of malunion and nonunion.ConclusionBoth implants have shown promising results in extra-articular proximal tibial fractures, and provide rigid fixation that prevents secondary fracture collapse.Level of evidenceLevel 2, randomized controlled trial.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.