Comparison of Postoperative Outcomes Between Open Reduction and Internal Fixation and Ilizarov for Schatzker Type V and Type VI Fractures

Introduction Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), hybrid fixation, and external fixation are available treatment options for bicondylar fractures of the proximal tibia but which one is superior to the others is not yet established. Therefore, the study aimed to establish a gold standard treatment option for bicondylar fractures by comparing the clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes managed by Ilizarov and ORIF at 24 months. Methods This was a retrospective study conducted from 2009 to 2014 at a public sector, tertiary care, level I trauma center. Patients with Schatzker type V and type VI open and closed fractures were included. Floating knee, pathological fractures of the tibia, and patients having medical conditions were excluded from the study. Honkonen and Jarvinen (HJ) criteria for subjective, clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes were used to compare between the two groups at 24 months. Demographic data included age, gender, Schatzker type, mechanism of injury, and range of knee flexion. Chi-square was used to find the level of significance, which was 0.05. Results A total of 137 patients were included in this study, with 68 patients in the ORIF group and 69 in the Ilizarov group during the study period. The mean age of the patients was 45.08 ± 10.52, respectively. The male to female distribution was 107/30 (78.1% and 21.89%). According to the mechanism of injury, road traffic accidents (RTA) were the primary cause of injury: 96 (70.07%), falls were 21 (15.32%), and gunshots were 18 (13.13%). Seventy-four were Schatzker type VI (54.01%) whereas 63 (45.98) were Shcatzker V. The average knee flexion at 24 months was 115.51 ± 16.82. There were no differences in the clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes at 24 months between the two treatment groups. Conclusion No single treatment option can be applied in all cases, and the decision depends on the complexity of the injury, the surgeon’s expertise, and host factors.