Lateral Locked Plating or Dual Plating: A Comparison of Two Methods in Simple Bicondylar Tibial Plateau Fractures

BACKGROUND: In this study, our aim was to compare the results of the dual locking plate fixation technique and lateral locking plate fixation technique for tibial bicondylar plateau fractures without posteromedial fragment. METHODS: We evaluated 20 patients who underwent surgical treatment due to bicondylar tibial plateau fracture between 2010 and 2015. Ten patients were included in group 1, in which a dual locking plate was employed, whereas 10 patients were included in group 2, in which a lateral locking plate was used. In both groups, functional and clinical outcomes after treatment were rated according to the Knee Society Knee Scoring System, Rasmussen functional score, and Rasmussen radiological score. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 24 months. There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to functional and radiographic outcomes at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In bicondylar tibial plateau fractures without posteromedial fragment, the lateral locking plate fixation technique showed the similar clinical and radiological outcomes as the dual locking plate fixation technique.