Iatrogenic Peroneal Nerve Palsy Rates Secondary to Open Reduction Internal Fixation for Tibial Plateau Fractures Using an Intraoperative Distractor

Conclusions: Peroneal nerve palsy is a common sequela of ORIF for TPFs involving the lateral compartment using an intraoperative distractor. Staged external fixation followed by definitive ORIF using intraoperative distraction was associated with significant risk for developing nerve palsy (9/10). Many patients (40%) who develop peroneal nerve palsies do not recover, leading to permanent loss of motor and/or sensory function for 7% of patients studied. None of the epidemiologic variables evaluated yielded predictive value for development of peroneal nerve palsy or subsequent resolution. Caution should be exercised in avoiding overdistraction when using intraoperative distraction, especially in those cases that had staged fixation, most notably bicondylar injuries. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Original Article Source Type: research