A PROSPECTIVE STUDY FOR EVALUATION OF FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES OF PLATE OSTEOSYNTHESIS FOR CLOSED INTRAARTICULAR CALCANEAL FRACTURES

Background: Calcaneal fractures account for 65% of tarsal injuries most (70%) of them are intra articular. It is the most repeatedly fractured tarsal bone. Axial loading is the most common mode of injury,falls from height, especially in male construction workers are the most frequent cause. Other fractures associated with falls from height have to be excluded such as pelvic and spinal fractures.

Aims and Objective: To analyze the functional outcome of closed displaced intraarticular calcaneal fractures treated by plating.

Materials and methods:This is a prospective study of 16 patients with displaced intraarticular fractures (Type–II Sanders and above) of calcaneum, which were admitted to the hospital and operated on with platingthrough extensile lateral approach, between November 2019to October 2021.

Result: In our study functional outcome according to the AOFAS(American Orthopaedic Foot And Ankle Society) score was Good(>75) in 14 cases(87.5%) and Fair(50-74) in 2(12.5%) and mean AOFAS score is 87.123.

Conclusion: Open reduction and internal fixation of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures by locking calcaneal plate maintain the joint congruity and decrease the incidence of subtalar arthritis. Althoughconservative treatment was considered the gold standard previously, there is an increased tendency toward internal fixation with excellent results.This study concludes that displaced intra-articular fractures of calcaneum give good results by open reduction and internal fixation with locking plates.