Table 1.
Perioperative characteristics of patients treated surgically with intramedullary nailing of distal tibia fractures with associated fibula fractures comparing fibular fixation to no fibular fixation
| Variable | Fibular fixation (n = 17) | No fibular fixation (n = 105) | Total (n = 122) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preoperative factors | ||||
| Age (years) | 50 ± 20 | 43 ± 17 | 44 ± 18 | 0.272 |
| Female | 8 (47%) | 35 (33%) | 43 (34%) | 0.212 |
| Open fracture | 6 (35%) | 39 (37%) | 45 (37%) | 0.884 |
| Associated malleolar fracture | 8 (47%) | 23 (22%) | 31 (25%) | 0.027 |
| AO/OTA fracture type | ||||
| 42-A1 | 4 (24%) | 35 (33%) | 39 (32%) | 0.219 |
| 42-A2 | 4 (24%) | 28 (27%) | 32 (26%) | |
| 42-A3 | 2 (12%) | 15 (14%) | 17 (14%) | |
| 42-B1 | 2 (12%) | 4 (3.8%) | 6 (4.9%) | |
| 42-B2 | 3 (18%) | 10 (9.5%) | 13 (11%) | |
| 42-B3 | 0 (0%) | 8 (7.6%) | 8 (6.6%) | |
| 42-C1 | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.0%) | 1 (0.8%) | |
| 42-C2 | 0 (0%) | 2 (1.9%) | 2 (1.6%) | |
| 43-A1 | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.0%) | 1 (0.8%) | |
| 43-A2 | 1 (5.9%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (0.8%) | |
| 43-A3 | 1 (5.9%) | 1 (1.0%) | 2 (1.6%) | |
| Fibular fracture level | ||||
| Proximal | 0 (0%) | 35 (33%) | 35 (29%) | < 0.001 |
| Same level | 4 (24%) | 47 (45%) | 51 (42%) | |
| Distal | 11 (65%) | 19 (18%) | 30 (25%) | |
| Segmental | 2 (12%) | 4 (3.8%) | 6 (4.9%) | |
| Intraoperative factors | ||||
| Infrapatellar approach | 4 (24%) | 24 (23%) | 28 (23%) | 1.000 |
| Nail diameter (mm) | 10 ± 0.8 | 10 ± 0.9 | 10 ± 0.9 | 0.501 |
| Nail diameter > 10 mm | 6 (35%) | 22 (21%) | 28 (23%) | 0.200 |
| Blocking screw use | 3 (18%) | 3 (2.9%) | 6 (4.9%) | 0.035 |
| Number of proximal interlockers | 1.9 ± 0.3 | 1.7 ± 0.5 | 1.7 ± 0.5 | 0.084 |
| Number of distal interlockers | 2.2 ± 0.5 | 2.4 ± 0.5 | 2.3 ± 0.5 | 0.387 |
| Distal screw planes | ||||
| Uniplanar | 4 (24%) | 64 (61%) | 68 (56%) | 0.007 |
| Multiplanar | 13 (76%) | 41 (39%) | 54 (44%) | |
| Postoperative variables | ||||
| Time to follow-up (months) | 12 ± 8.5 | 9.7 ± 8.4 | 10 ± 8.4 | 0.247 |
| Wound complication/infection | 2 (12%) | 12 (11%) | 14 (11%) | 1.000 |
| Malunion/nonunion | 1 (5.9%) | 9 (8.6%) | 10 (8.2%) | 1.000 |
| Symptomatic hardware (Requiring removal) | 0 (0%) | 3 (2.9%) | 3 (2.5%) | 1.000 |
| Final malalignment | 1 (5.9%) | 15 (14%) | 16 (13%) | 0.466 |
AO/OTA Arbeitsgemeinschaft für osteosynthesefragen/orthopedic trauma association