Articular impaction injuries in the lower limb

The effective management of articular impacted fractures requires the successful elevation of the osteochondral fragment to eliminate joint incongruency and the stable fixation of the fragments providing structural support to the articular surface. The anatomical restoration of the joint can be performed either with elevation through a cortical window, through balloon-guided osteoplasty or direct visualisation of the articular surface. Structural support of the void created in the subchondral area can be achieved through the use of bone graft materials (autologous tricortical bone), or synthetic bone graft substitutes. In the present study, we describe the available techniques and materials that can be used in treating impacted osteochondral fragments with special consideration of their epidemiology and treatment options. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2017;2. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.2.160072. Originally published online at www.efortopenreviews.org