Mono- versus polyaxial locking plates in distal femur fractures: A prospective randomized multicentre clinical trial

Marc Hanschen, Ina M. Aschenbrenner, Kai Fehske, Sonja Kirchhoff, Leonhard Keil, Boris M. Holzapfel, Sebastian Winkler, Bernd Fuechtmeier, Rainer Neugebauer, Sven Luehrs, Ulrich Liener, Peter Biberthaler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Treatment of complex fractures of the distal femur utilizing monoaxial locking plates (e.g. Less Invasive Stabilisation System, LISS®, Synthes) is considered to be superior to conventional plating systems. Due to the limitation that the thread forces the screw into pre-determined positions, modifications have been made to allow screw positioning within a range of 30° (Non Contact Bridging, NCB®-DF, Zimmer). For the first time, this multicenter prospective randomized clinical trial (RCT) investigates the outcome of LISS® vs. NCB®-DF treatment following complex fractures of the distal femur. Methods: Since June 2008, 27 patients with a fracture of the distal femur (AO ASIF 33-A-C and periprosthetic fractures) were enrolled in this study by four university trauma centres in southern Germany. Clinical (e.g. range of motion, Oxford knee score, Tegner score) and radiological (e.g. axis deviation, secondary loss of realignment) follow-ups were conducted one and six weeks, as well as three, six, and 12 months after the operation. Results: This study comprises data of 27 patients (8 male, 19 female; 15 NCB®-DF, 12 LISS®). Polyaxial osteosynthesis using the NCB® system tended to result in better functional knee scores and a higher range of motion. Interestingly, fracture union tended to be more rapid using the polyaxial plating system. Conclusions: We present the analysis of a multicenter prospective RCT to compare the monoaxial LISS® vs. the polyaxial NCB®-DF treatment following complex fractures of the distal femur. NCB®-DF treatment tended to result in better functional and radiological outcomes than LISS® treatment. Level of Evidence: Level I

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)857-863
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Orthopaedics
Volume38
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2014

Keywords

  • Distal femur fracture
  • Locked plate osteosynthesis
  • Monoaxial plating
  • Polyaxial plating
  • Randomized clinical trial

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mono- versus polyaxial locking plates in distal femur fractures: A prospective randomized multicentre clinical trial'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this