Comparison of Different Surgical Incision Choices and Their Effects on Surgical Treatment Outcome in Tibial Plateau Fractures

Aim: Our hypothesis was that the treatment results would be superior to those of other methods in the patient group treated with a single anterior midline approach. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical and radiological results of surgical methods used to treat tibial plateau fractures. Methods: This retrospective study included 60 patients who underwent tibial plateau fracture surgery between 2019 and 2021. The Schatzker fracture classification was used to analyze and compare the association between surgical incisions and clinical and radiological outcomes in terms of complication rate. Results: The study included 60 patients (35 males and 25 females). The mean age of the patients was 44.8 years. The lateral incision is almost always preferred for Schatzker type 1-2-3 fractures, whereas the midline incision is used extensively for type 4-5-6 fractures. Better clinical and radiologic results were observed in Schatzker type 1 and 3 fractures. There were no significant differences in complications between anterior midline single-incision and double-incision surgeries. Conclusion: Tibial plateau fractures require anatomical joint reduction and rigid fixation of fracture fragments. A single anterior midline incision for bicondylar plateau fractures can be safely utilized, although larger patient series studies are needed.