Minimally invasive management of a floating prosthesis injury with locking plates

The floating knee: a review on ipsilateral femoral and tibial fractures

In 1975, Blake and McBryde established the concept of 'floating knee' to describe ipsilateral fractures of the femur and tibia.1 This combination is much more than a bone lesion; the mechanism is usually a high-energy trauma in a patient with multiple injuries and a myriad of other lesions.After initial evaluation patients should be categorised, and only stable patients should undergo immediate reduction and internal fixation with the rest receiving external fixation.Definitive internal fixation of both bones yields the best results in almost all series.Nailing of both bones is the optimal fixation when both fractures (femoral and tibial) are extra-articular.Plates are the 'standard of care' in cases with articular fractures.A combination of implants are required by 40% of floating knees.Associated ligamentous and meniscal lesions are common, but may be irrelevant in the case of an intra-articular fracture which gives the worst prognosis for this type of lesion. Cite this article: Muñoz Vives K, Bel J-C, Capel Agundez A, Chana Rodríguez F, Palomo Traver J, Schultz-Larsen M, Tosounidis, T. The floating knee. EFORT Open Rev 2016;1:375-382. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.1.000042.

Management of distal femoral periprosthetic fractures by distal femoral locking plate: A retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Management of periprosthetic supracondylar femoral fractures is difficult. Osteoporosis, comminution and bone loss, compromise stability with delayed mobility and poor functional outcomes. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with anatomic distal femoral (DF) locking plate permits early mobilization. However, this usually necessitates bone grafting (BG). Biological fixation using minimally invasive techniques minimizes periosteal stripping and morbidity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

31 patients with comminuted periprosthetic DF fractures were reviewed retrospectively from October 2006 to September 2012. All patients underwent fixation using a DF locking compression plate (Synthes). 17 patients underwent ORIF with primary BG, whereas 14 were treated by closed reduction (CR) and internal fixation using biological minimally invasive techniques. Clinical and radiological followup were recorded for an average 36 months.

RESULTS

Mean time to union for the entire group was 5.6 months (range 3-9 months). Patients of ORIF group took longer (Mean 6.4 months, range 4.5-9 months) than the CR group (mean 4.6 months, range 3-7 months). Three patients of ORIF and one in CR group had poor results. Mean knee society scores were higher for CR group at 6 months, but nearly identical at 12 months, with similar eventual range of motion.

DISCUSSION

Locked plating of comminuted periprosthetic DF fractures permits stable rigid fixation and early mobilization. Fixation using minimally invasive biological techniques minimizes morbidity and may obviate the need for primary BG.

Minimally invasive management of unstable proximal femoral extracapsular fractures using reverse LISS femoral locking plates

The efficacy of the reverse Less Invasive Plating System in the management of unstable proximal femoral extracapsular fractures was retrospectively evaluated. Twenty-seven patients with complex proximal femoral fractures were identified. There were three open fractures. The mean age was 71 years (range; 65-79). The mean follow up was 24 months (range; 15-32). The main outcome measures were union, union time, requirement for secondary procedures, development of deep infection, pain, and functional impairment. Nonunion was observed in one patient. The average Harris hip score at the last assessment was 73 points (range 58-85). The outcome was adversely affected by concomitant medical problems, anatomical reduction and fixation of the plate. The use of this plate in the management of proximal femoral fractures of all types may be a safe and alternative method to other treatment options.