Calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction and internal fixation with a locking compression plate (LCP): A prospective study. Part I: Basic analysis of the group
Abstract
In a prospective study of patients with calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction from an extensile lateral approach and LCP osteosynthesis, the authors evaluated the basic epidemiological data, mechanism of injury, type of fracture, essential data on surgery, days of hospital stay and the number of complications. The analysis of basic data on the group of patients with calcaneal fractures treated by open reduction and LCP fixation showed the following: chiefly young active men sustained this fracture; calcaneal fracture was usually due to a fall or jump from a level not too high; X-ray examination (lateral and axial projection) was sufficient to make a diagnosis; for a deci sion to operate it was useful to complete the diagnosis by CT examination; the prerequisite for minimising post-operative complications was strict adherence to the established indication criteria, surgery only after oedema had subsided and use of the correct surgical technique.
The number of complications and their nature did