Demographic profile and functional outcome following fixation of distal femur fractures by locking compression plate

Author(s): Gaurav Kumar Gupta and Rejo Varghese Jacob

Abstract: Fractures involving the distal humerus are common injuries accounting for 4-7% of all femur fractures with almost 58% having intraarticular extension. These fractures are common in young males following high-velocity injuries and are also seen in older osteoporotic individuals. We present a series of 30 patients sustaining distal femur fractures to study their demographic profile and functional outcome following open reduction and fixation using locking compression plate. The patients were followed up for a period 6 months and functional outcome was assessed using Neer scoring system. In our study, 12 patients had “excellent” outcome (40%), 7 patients showed “good” outcome (23.3%), 8 patients had “fair” outcome (26.7%) and 3 patients “poor” outcome (10%). From our analysis, it was observed that Locking Compression Plate shows good results in extra-articular, intra-articular and comminuted fractures irrespective of age of patient, comorbidities and delay in surgery. Articular congruity must be maintained during surgery to improve the functional outcome in cases of intra-articular extension and early non-weight bearing mobilization is the key for better long term results along with careful partial weight bearing.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/ortho.2020.v6.i1b.1843