Is the Expert Nail With Poller Screws Superior to the Distal Tibial Locked Plate in the Management of Short Oblique Distal Tibial Fractures?

Distal tibial fracture management is difficult because of poor blood supply resulted from subcutaneous location. Therefore, the study aims to compare expert intramedullary nail (IMN) with poller screws to the distal tibial locked plate regarding operative and complications outcomes

Stabilization of the fractured segments is the main goal in fracture fixation which will help to achieve proper healing, fasten early mobility, and get the full function of the injured limb. The fractures may be managed conservatively or by fixation whether internal or external . Tibial fractures are the most common long bone fractures because of their subcutaneous location which makes them more liable to trauma. They are more common in young males as they are related to sports and traffic accidents. Elderly people come in second place of tibial fractures because they are more likely to occur from simple falls. Proper surgical management of displaced tibial fracture will help in increasing bone stability with the surrounding tissue and improving the bone alignment which in turn fastens the early movement, increases overall function, and prevents prolonged bedridden. Distal tibia fractures represent from 7% to 10% of all lower limb fractures. Basically, there is controversy over the use of the term "distal tibial fractures" Some authors use the term to describe the distal metaphyseal fractures as defined by one Muller square as Giannoudis 2015 et al. Others use distal tibial fractures to refer to distal shaft fractures (meta-diaphyseal region) from 4 to 11 centimeters starting from the plafond as Polat 2015 et al . Others use the term for both regions, describing them as " two muller squares" as Mauffrey 2012 et al. Management of distal tibial fracture management is difficult especially in old patients with mature skeletons and without involvement of knee joint because of a fracture near the position to the ankle joint with decreased blood flow resulting from the subcutaneous anatomical location \[8\]. There are common fixation techniques performed in distal tibial fracture management like open reduction with internal fixation, intramedullary nail insertion (IMN), minimally invasive percutaneous plate osteosynthesis, and external fixation with limited open reduction and internal fixation. Despite these different management methods achieving success in proper reduction and enhancing the stability and union, they were associated with disadvantages that need to be considered during the management plan which makes no single method ideally preferred for all combined bone and soft tissue distal tibial traumas. Therefore, studies should address all advantages, disadvantages, and the proper application of each method. We aim in our study to compare expert IMN with poller screws to the distal tibial locked plates in the management of the short oblique distal tibial fractures regarding clinical outcomes, radiological findings, complications, and the need for a secondary operation.