The Outcomes of Surgically Treated Distal Tibia Salter-Harris Type III and IV Fractures

Current literature suggests that distal tibia Salter-Harris Type III and IV fractures with > 2 mm of displacement should be treated surgically to minimize growth arrest. The objective of the current study is to determine, in Salter-Harris Type III and IV distal tibia fractures, if gap displacements < 2 mm post-surgery are associated with fracture union, if step-off s > 2 mm post-surgery are associated with osteoarthritis, and to determine how often growth disturbances are observed in surgically-treated patients. A retrospective case series review of fourteen patients with displaced distal tibia Salter-Harris Type III and IV fractures was performed. The patients were evaluated using Kärrholm’s method of clinical evaluation. The current study demonstrated that surgical reduction to < 2 mm gap displacement results in fracture union in all cases, reduction to < 2 mm does not result in osteoarthritis in any cases, and only 8% of patients demonstrated a growth disturbance with surgical intervention. (Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances 29(4):219–224, 2020) Key words: distal tibia fracture, Salter-Harris fracture, surgical reduction, gap displacement, step-off , growth disturbance