Surgical treatment and rehabilitation capabilities of patients with patellar fractures

Relevance. Fractures of the patella represent about 1% of all fractures of the bones. Among surgeons there is no a single approach to the treatment of patients with many fragmentary patellar fractures. After surgical treatment of patients with patellar fractures, various complications could be observed. Aside from that, there is no consensus on the treatment of complex fractures of the patella, and in practice, trauma physicians use a variety of methods of osteosynthesis of the patella. In the light of the foregoing, the study of long-term results of patients after patellar fractures is of particular relevance. Purpose of study: to examine the results of patients after surgical treatment of patellar fractures with a view to devising best practices for its osteosynthesis. Patients and methods. A study of the results of treatment of 78 patients with patellar fractures was conducted. The following groups were identified depending on the type of surgery and the nature of the fracture: Weber osteosynthesis in fragmentary fractures; «cruciform osteosynthesis» and other identical options of osteosynthesis with spokes and wires at three or more fragmented fractures of the patella; combination osteosynthesis. A comparative analysis of the results of treatment of patients after partial patellectomy and osteosynthesis of the patella with spokes and tightening wire loops was conducted. We evaluated the results on the KOOS scale with clinical examination and x-ray examination of patients. Beyond that, we have supplemented this scale with the patients’ own opinion on the evaluation of the results of their treatment. Results. The average follow-up period was 22 months. A comparative analysis of the groups of patients after surgical treatment of patellar fractures on the KOOS scale showed the best results in osteosynthesis of transverse two-fragment patellar fractures by Weber’y - 72%. The results of treatment of patients with many fragmentary patellar fractures using 3-5 spokes and 2-3 wires was - 64%; after the rehabilitation of the lower pole was - 68%) and after partial patellectomy -51%. Conclusion. If a patient has three-fragmented patellar fractures, reasonable results could be achieved by using 3 spokes and 2 tightening wire loops. With four or more fragmentary fractures of the patella, the optimal method for its osteosynthesis is the use of a «cruciform» method with 4 or more spokes in combination with two or three wire loops. The use of patellectomy with subsequent fixation of the blocking wire loop should be avoided in all types of patellar fractures. Key words: patellar fracture, osteosynhesis, surgical treatment Conflict of interest: the authors state no conflict of interest Funding: the study was performed with no external funding