Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator

Abstract Background The hexapod external fixator (HEF) is increasingly used for high-energy tibial shaft fracture care as more general orthopedic surgeons are gaining expertise of this versatile device. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the HEF for definitive ma...

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Main Authors: Yanshi Liu, Jialin Liu, Maimaiaili Yushan, Zhenhui Liu, Tao Zhang, He Ma, Chuang Ma, Aihemaitijiang Yusufu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2021-02-01
Series:BMC Surgery
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-021-01106-5
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spelling doaj-826696e4b1714907b781b9c38bfd6a812021-02-21T12:22:29ZengBMCBMC Surgery1471-24822021-02-012111910.1186/s12893-021-01106-5Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixatorYanshi Liu0Jialin Liu1Maimaiaili Yushan2Zhenhui Liu3Tao Zhang4He Ma5Chuang Ma6Aihemaitijiang Yusufu7Department of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityDepartment of Prosthodontics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityDepartment of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityDepartment of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Tianjin HospitalDepartment of Orthopaedics and Trauma, Tianjin HospitalDepartment of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityDepartment of Microrepair and Reconstruction, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical UniversityAbstract Background The hexapod external fixator (HEF) is increasingly used for high-energy tibial shaft fracture care as more general orthopedic surgeons are gaining expertise of this versatile device. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the HEF for definitive management in patients with high-energy tibial shaft fractures. Methods The study was conducted on 34 patients with tibial shaft fractures who were admitted or referred to our institution and consented to HEF treatment from Jan 2016 to June 2019, including 27 males and 7 females with a mean age of 39 years (range 18 to 65 years). Patients' clinical and radiological data, and the final clinical outcomes at a minimum of 12 months follow-up were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All complications were documented according to Paley’s classification. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria (ASAMI) at the last clinical visit. Results All patients remained in the HEF for a mean of 26 weeks (range 15 to 52 weeks) and acquired complete bone union. The satisfactory alignment was achieved in all patients, and all the patients were able to perform daily activities with no difficulty at the last clinical visit. Complications included pin tract infection (44%), delayed union (6%), nonunion (3%), and joint stiffness (3%). The ASAMI bony result was excellent in 31 patients and good in 3. The ASAMI functional result was excellent in 27 patients, good in 6, and fair in 1. Conclusions Definitive management using the hexapod external fixator is an alternative and effective method for high-energy tibial shaft fractures, including technical advantages of early trauma-control, the versatility of achieving excellent alignment, and the continuity of device until bone union.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-021-01106-5External fixationHexapod external fixatorTibial shaft fracturesTrauma-control
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Yanshi Liu
Jialin Liu
Maimaiaili Yushan
Zhenhui Liu
Tao Zhang
He Ma
Chuang Ma
Aihemaitijiang Yusufu
spellingShingle Yanshi Liu
Jialin Liu
Maimaiaili Yushan
Zhenhui Liu
Tao Zhang
He Ma
Chuang Ma
Aihemaitijiang Yusufu
Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
BMC Surgery
External fixation
Hexapod external fixator
Tibial shaft fractures
Trauma-control
author_facet Yanshi Liu
Jialin Liu
Maimaiaili Yushan
Zhenhui Liu
Tao Zhang
He Ma
Chuang Ma
Aihemaitijiang Yusufu
author_sort Yanshi Liu
title Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
title_short Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
title_full Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
title_fullStr Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
title_full_unstemmed Management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
title_sort management of high-energy tibial shaft fractures using the hexapod circular external fixator
publisher BMC
series BMC Surgery
issn 1471-2482
publishDate 2021-02-01
description Abstract Background The hexapod external fixator (HEF) is increasingly used for high-energy tibial shaft fracture care as more general orthopedic surgeons are gaining expertise of this versatile device. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the HEF for definitive management in patients with high-energy tibial shaft fractures. Methods The study was conducted on 34 patients with tibial shaft fractures who were admitted or referred to our institution and consented to HEF treatment from Jan 2016 to June 2019, including 27 males and 7 females with a mean age of 39 years (range 18 to 65 years). Patients' clinical and radiological data, and the final clinical outcomes at a minimum of 12 months follow-up were collected and retrospectively analyzed. All complications were documented according to Paley’s classification. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov criteria (ASAMI) at the last clinical visit. Results All patients remained in the HEF for a mean of 26 weeks (range 15 to 52 weeks) and acquired complete bone union. The satisfactory alignment was achieved in all patients, and all the patients were able to perform daily activities with no difficulty at the last clinical visit. Complications included pin tract infection (44%), delayed union (6%), nonunion (3%), and joint stiffness (3%). The ASAMI bony result was excellent in 31 patients and good in 3. The ASAMI functional result was excellent in 27 patients, good in 6, and fair in 1. Conclusions Definitive management using the hexapod external fixator is an alternative and effective method for high-energy tibial shaft fractures, including technical advantages of early trauma-control, the versatility of achieving excellent alignment, and the continuity of device until bone union.
topic External fixation
Hexapod external fixator
Tibial shaft fractures
Trauma-control
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12893-021-01106-5
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