Evaluation and treatment of tibial plateau fractures

Abstract

Despite the evolution of surgical technique and implants, fractures of the tibial plateau remain a challenging clinical problem. The spectrum of injury with varying degrees of articular depression, displacement, and soft tissue injury is so great that no single treatment has proven uniformly successful. Optimal treatment requires a complete understanding of the "personality" of the injury and familiarity with a variety of techniques, both surgical and nonsurgical. Improved understanding and recognition of injury patterns and recent developments in minimally invasive techniques, external fixation, plate design, and cement osteosynthesis will allow the surgeon to achieve good results in the majority of cases.