External Fixator–Assisted Reduction of Distal Femur Fractures: A Technical Trick

Abstract

Restoration of anatomical alignment while preserving the soft-tissue envelope around the fracture site remains a challenge during distal femur fracture fixation. Although the lateral distal femoral locking plate allows surgeons to achieve adequate bony stability, their application has been associated with malalignment leading to inferior outcomes. We propose a biologically friendly, percutaneous technique that sequentially reduces and aligns distal femur fractures with an anterior external fixator before definitive fixation with a lateral distal femoral locking plate.

External fixator‐assisted plating osteosynthesis in a rabbit model of femoral bone defects appears to be a feasible and reproducible surgical technique: preliminary insights from a bone substitute study

“…External fixator-assisted reduction is a well-known technique in traumatology, several authors reported the use of external fixator to restore anatomical alignment and length before internal fixation. Shymon and co-workers [ 16 ] described a percutaneous technique that sequentially reduces and aligns distal femur fractures with an anterior external fixator before definitive fixation with a lateral distal femoral locking plate. Gopinathan and colleagues [ 3 ] proposed a Fixator Assisted Submuscular plating Technique (FAST), which minimizes the surgical time and simplifies the submuscular plating in pediatric femur fractures.…”