Comparative Evaluation on the Therapeutic Outcome of Minimally Invasive Plating Osteosynthesis Method with Open Reduction and Internal Fixation for Treatment of Distal Tibial Fractures

Tibial fractures with soft tissue injury, lead to disability for a long time. The study aimed to compare the success rate of Minimally Invasive Plating Osteosynthesis (MIPO) with the outcomes of Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF) method in the treatment of tibia fractures. This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 43 patients with distal tibia fractures treated either of two methods ORIF or MIPO . In addition to evaluating the feasibility of MIPO technique in the tibia, the duration of union and organ function in daily activities were also evaluated. There was no signif icant difference in the mean union time, the mean time of return to previous activity and The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score between the two groups. But, the incidence of wound complications, as well as soft tissue damage, was signif icantly higher in the ORIF group. The prevalence rate of infection at the site of operation was also signif icantly higher in the ORIF group. Despite better results in the MIPO group, there was no signif icant difference between the two methods in terms of clinical improvement and the functional score of patients, and in the tibia fractures with the type of A and B, they were not superior to each other. The lower rates of complications in the MIPO group evidenced it as a useful and practical technique.