Treatment of Compound Tibial Diaphyseal Fractures by Ilizarov Method: A Retrospective Study

Background- This study was done to evaluate the results obtained by treatment of open tibial shaft fracture grade IIIA and IIIB by Ilizarov external fixator in terms of radiological bone healing and functional results, and to study treatment associated complications. Methods- Study was carried out in Pt. B. D. Sharma postgraduate institute of medical sciences, Rohtak, Haryana between April 2017 till Jan 2020. After satisfying the criteria, selected 34 patients subjected to thorough history, followed by a clinical examination. Proper counselling and thorough radiological and laboratory investigation were done. Patient was operated as early as possible and serial follow up was done and minimum at 1 year follow up, The patients were assessed clinically using the Tucker?s criteria and Johner and Wruh?s criteria. Post-operatively patients were assessed both radiologically and clinically to determine the effect of treatment. Radiological union was graded on the basis of Fernandez-Estev grading. Data analysis was done using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS) 22.0. Results- Age of cases ranged from 19-54 years. With average being 37.74 years. 70.6%of the cases were male in the study group. Equal proportion of both sides (Right and left) was involved. In 31 (91.18%) patients fracture united whereas in remaining 3 (8.82%) patients non-union occurred. Mean fixator removal time was 22.76 weeks. 31(91.18%) cases showed excellent to good results after the intervention and only 3(8.82%) of the cases showed poor result according to Tucker?s criteria and 30 (88.23%) cases had excellent to good results and 4 (11.77%) cases had poor results using Johner and Wruh?s criteria. Conclusions- It is recommended to use llizarov external ring fixator apparatus to provide primary definitive fixation for high energy long bone fractures. Early weight bearing even in severely comminuted fractures is the key factor that separates it from other methods of fixation. It promotes early functional recovery, eliminating fracture disease. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow ups are recommended.