Rotational Deformity of Distal Tibia after MIPPO Operation, does it affect function?

The fixation of distal tibial fractures with a plate and screw system is one of the most common methods. The purpose of intraoperative reduction is to restore good alignment of the fracture. Usually, the longitudinal alignment of fractures is more intuitive, but the rotational alignment of fractures is difficult to evaluate with intraoperative fluoroscopy. Whether the difference in rotational alignment will affect the function of the knee and ankle joints is still inconclusive.

In a study of 27 cases of tibial metaphysis fractures fixed by MIPPO technique, 51.8% (14 cases) of patients had postoperative fracture distal rotation >10°, with a mean rotation of 14.6°.

Angular measurement of tibial malrotation

MIPPO technique for distal tibia fractures

The study took the rotation of 10° as the boundary, and divided 27 patients into two groups, 13 cases in the <10° group and 14 cases in the >10° group.

Baseline data of 27 patients

The results suggest that although the proportion of tibial rotation malalignment is high, there seems to be no significant relationship between the tibial rotation malalignment and the ipsilateral knee and ankle joint function. (Note: The purpose of this result is to suggest that mild postoperative rotational malalignment may have little effect on functional outcomes. It does not mean that there is no need to pay attention to rotational alignment during surgery, and it is still crucial to reduce or avoid rotational poor alignment during surgery. important.)