Introduction: Treating tibial plateau fractures extreme care should be given to restore articular surface height preserving knee joint stability to be able to obtain maximal range of movement and to prevent future joint degenerative changes. Preoperative evaluation with CT and 3-D reconstruction is mandatory to understand the topography of the fracture for surgical planning. Traditional bone grafting techniques together with newer bone substitutes should be utilized in addition to ligamentotaxis when necessary. Fixation with smooth or olive wires (in occasions with washers for wider contact), sometimes augmented by screws is used with the Ilizarov external frame for stabilization avoiding extended incisions. In unstable fractures, bridging of the knee with slight distraction of the joint is provided by including the distal femur to the frame with an additional ring. Guided by these principles, complex tibial plateau fractures were treated in our department and the results are reported.

Materials and Methods: Ten patients 40.6 years old on average (30–70) with Schatzker type V–VI fractures (all closed) were treated by hybrid 3 ring Ilizarov external frames alone or in combination with another procedure. Six were treated by ligamentotaxis and Ilizarov fixation alone and minimal opening for joint surface elevation when needed. The remaining 4 needed 6.5 mm canulated cancellous screw augmentation and 2 of them additional bone graft supplementation. Two patients needed extension of the frame to the femur with hinges on the center of joint rotation. All patients remain non-WB for 6 weeks and partial WB for another 6 weeks. Within 3 months the frame was removed and replaced by a brace or a cast-brace with full WB. Physiotherapy started early after the operation.

Results: The results were analyzed over an average follow-up period of 22.6 months (range 3–53). All fractures healed in an average of 12 weeks. Range of motion in all patients included full extension with 90° of flexion or more. No postoperative infections, septic arthritis or neurovascular complications were reported. Pin site infection was resolved locally. One case resulted in mild valgus alignment due to osteoporotic bone (70 years old patient).

Discussion: Ilizarov external fixation for complex tibial plateau fractures offers the advantage of minimal invasive interventions with a high level of functionality since the early post operative period. The combination with minimal invasive opening for joint surface elevation and additional screws or bone graft extends even more the scope of the treatment. Functional results were similar to previous reported series. The good observance of traditional tibial plateau surgery principles should guide the surgeons when using this modality of treatment for optimal results.