Proximal tibial fractures (AO/OTA classification 41), which are frequently caused by high-energy trauma, continue to be challenging to treat and are associated with a high incidence of complications, including neurologic compromise and vascular injury[1-3]. It has been reported that 90% of undisplaced tibial plateau fractures have associated meniscal, cruciate or collateral ligament tears[4]. An increasingly accepted technique for managing patients with multiple trauma, such as those whose proximal tibial fractures were caused by high-energy trauma, is damage control orthopedics, in which the least invasive method, namely temporary external fixation, is used to rapidly stabilize patients[5]. Definitive treatment has traditionally been open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF); this may be associated with complications such as soft tissue damage and infection[6]. Kloen was recently the first to describe treating such fractures with external locking compression plates (LCP) and fixation, an approach that is gaining renewed interest[7]. Currently, there are few published reports concerning treating proximal tibial fractures by combining temporary external fixator with definitive external LCP.
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