RESEARCH ARTICLE


Pilon Fracture: A Case Report of a 45-Year-Old Dental Technician



Pouya Mafi 1, James Stanley 2, Sandip Hindocha*, 3, Reza Mafi 4
1 1Hull York Medical School, Heslington, York, YO105DD, UK
2 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, York Teaching Hospital, YO31 8HE, UK
3 3Department of Plastic Surgery, Whiston Hospital, Merseyside, L35 5DR, UK
4 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hull Royal Infirmary, HU3 2JZ, UK


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Creative Commons License
© Mafi et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/) which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Plastic Surgery, Whiston Hospital, Liverpool, UK L35 5DR, UK; Tel: + 44(0)1244366265; Fax: +44(0)1244366265; E-mail: hindocha2001@yahoo.com


Abstract

Pilon fractures are complex and difficult-to-treat fractures of the lower extremity that account for about 1% of all lower extremity fractures and up to 10% of tibial fractures. The injury is caused by high energy axial load either from motor vehicle accidents or a fall from height. The treatment of these fractures has caused controversy among surgeons due to mixed outcomes. Here we report a case of pilon fracture in a 45 year old male patient who has sustained the injury as a result of a fall from a height of approximately 12 feet. We describe why it is absolutely crucial that the patient is treated with external fixation initially and evaluate its merits and drawbacks as well as ways to minimize the complications associated with external fixation of open intra-articular distal tibial fractures.

Keywords: External fixation, internal fixation, k-wire, pilon fracture, open reduction..