Does postoperative alignment affect union in distal femoral fractures?

Background: Distal femoral shaft fractures can be hard to treat. Recently, a meta-analysis concluded that healing rates of distal femoral fractures are suboptimal, and further research is needed. The purpose of our study was to evaluate if postoperative alignment affected union rates of distal femoral fractures. Methods: Eighty-nine distal femoral fractures from the University of Louisville met inclusion and exclusion criteria. We used the Fracture and Dislocation Classification Compendium-2018 to classify fractures. Radiographs were evaluated for fracture location, alignment, and for healing. All statistical tests had a level of significance of 0.05. Statistical tests included a chi squared analysis, a t-test for two independent samples for proportions, and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Chi squared analysis showed a statistically significant difference in healing of fractures with anatomic alignment versus those with nonanatomic alignment (χ2=18.241, P
Source: Current Orthopaedic Practice - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Original Research Source Type: research