Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: A tibial plateau fracture is an intra-articular fracture that affects the function and stability of the knee joint and requires careful evaluation and pre-operative planning. We determined the posterior tibial slope changes after tibial plateau fracture stabilization, aiming to help improve surgical success in maintaining the lower limb's natural axis. METHODS: This retrospective case series involved all Golestan and Imam Khomeini hospital patients (Ahvaz, Iran) with Schatzker type IV-VI tibial plateau fractures from April 1, 2017, to March 30, 2020, who underwent surgical fixation. Data on the age, gender, body mass index (BMI), surgical approach, posterior tibial slope angle in the injured and healthy knees, pain, and knee joint instability were collected. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 22 and considered a significance level of P < 0.05. RESULTS: Among the 31 study participants, 24 (77.4%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 39.81 ± 14.41 years (21-78), with a mean BMI of 25.4 ± 2.7 (20.3-31.2) kg/m(2) and hospitalization duration of 5.8 ± 9.3 days (3-29). Most patients had type VI fractures (48.3%). The posterior tibial slope angle shared no relation with age, gender, BMI, or surgical approach (P > 0.05). After tibial plateau fracture fixation, the posterior tibial slope angle significantly increased in the injured knee compared with the healthy knee (P < 0.05). Six months after the operation, the angle of the injured knee decreased but remained higher than that of the healthy knee (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The tibial slope's posterior column collapses more than its anterior column over time, reducing the posterior tibial slope angle. Therefore, the correct reduction of the tibial plateau's posterior slope is more important.