Radiographic anatomical ratios between tibial plateau and distal femur and the clinical value in evaluating reduction of Schatzker Ⅳ-C tibial plateau fractures

LIU Yulong; NING Rende; FANG Run; ZHENG Han-lin; ZHANG Chengnan; ZHOU Daobin; ZHOU Zulong

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2024.09.013

Abstract：Objective To investigate the radiographic anatomical relationship between tibial plateau and distal femur and evaluate the impact of reset tibial plateau of various widths after reduction of the Schatzker Ⅳ-C tibial plateau fractures on postoperative outcomes.Methods We collected and reviewed the X-ray images of the normal knees of 207 standard neutrally-positioned adults(non-fracture group)and pre-and post-operative immediate anterior-posterior X-ray images of the knees of 60 patients with Schatzker Ⅳ-C fractures(fracture group)in our hospital from August 2012 to August 2022.We measured the proximal tibial joint width(TAW),distal femoral width(DFW),and distal femoral joint width(FAW)in both groups and calculated the TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios.In the fracture group,the cases with TAW between FAW and DFW were assigned to the well-reduced group,while those with TAW outside this range between FAW and DFW to the poorly-reduced group.Both groups were assessed using the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score(HSS)one year after operation.Results In the non-fracture group,there were no significant differences in gender or affected side in terms of TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios(P＞0.05),while in the fracture group,there were statistically significant differences in the TAW/DFW and TAW/FAW ratios compared to the non-fracture group(P＜0.05).There was a statistically signifi-cant difference in the one-year postoperative HSS scores between the well-reduced and poorly-reduced groups in the fracture group(P＜0.05).Conclusion The radiographic anatomical relationship between the tibial plateau and distal femur in normal adults is relatively constant,providing a radiological reference for resetting the tibial plateau to a satisfactory width during reduction of Schatzker Ⅳ-C fractures.TAW/DFW＞1 or TAW/FAW＜1 indicates a poor reduction of the fracture and predicts poor postoperative recovery of knee joint function.