Abstract

• Fractures of the distal femur which include supracondylar and intercondylar injuries are difficult to manage. Usually combined with high energy trauma, there are severe soft tissue damage, comminu tion, intra-articular fracture, and injury to the quadriceps mechanism lead to unsatisfactory results in many cases, regardless of the treatment. The goals of treatment are to achieve fracture union and to restore early knee motion.
  Before 1960, preferred method of menagment was primarily traction alone or combination with a cast. During the last two decades, as technology and implants have been improved, most traumatologists have advocated some form of internal fixation in the managment of distal femur fractures. Surfaces, restorative treatment requires achieving the following goals;anatomic reduction of joint surfaces, restoration of limb length and alignment, rigid fixation, and eatly knee range of motion.
  Author reviewed and clinically analysed 42 cases of the fractures which were followed more than one year at the orthoedic department of Pusan National Universty Hospital during the period from January 1987 to December 1993.
  The results were as follows;
  1.The incidence was higher in active young age group.
  2.The most common cause of the injury was traffic accident with high energy rauma(59.5%) and the most frequent injury type by Mullwes classification was C type(59.5%)
  3.Overall result estimsted by schatzkers criteria was excellent in 10 cases(28.6%), good in 4 cases(40.0%), faur in 6 cases(17.1%) and poor in 5 cases(14.3%).
  4.The causes of poor resulted cases were open fractures, fracture with articular comminution and inadequate anatomical reduction.
  5.Rigid internal fixation permits early functional rehabilitation of the patient and decrease the incidence of malunion, nonunion and loss of fixation.
• Key words: Distal Femur, Fracture, Internal Fixation

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• Fractures of the distal femur in elderly patients: retrospective analysis of a case series treated with single or double plate
  Dae Jin Nam, Min Seok Kim, Tae Ho Kim, Min Woo Kim, Suc Hyun Kweon
  Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef