Prognostic Factors of Health-related Quality of Life in Patients After Tibial Plafond Fracture. A Pilot Study

Background: Tibial plafond fractures are a uncommon injury, and the outcomes described in literature are generally poor. The purposes were to determine the effect of the tibial plafond fractures on general health-related quality of life, and to examine the factors that influence these outcomes.

Methods: Retrospective study of 43 patients with average age of 45.6 (range 18-69) years who were also invited for a clinical and radiological reassessment. The primary outcome measure was quality of life assessed by the Short Form-36 questionnaire. Visual analogue scale for pain, and motion of both ankle and subtalar joints were also assessed. Radiological evaluation was performed to assess bone healing, fracture reduction quality, and tibial alignment.

Results: The mean follow-up at last visit was 8.1 (range, 4-12) years. Patients who had suffered plafond fracture had significantly poorer quality of life compared with age- and gender-matched general population of our country regardless of the treatment method used. Multivariate analyses showed that the age had influence on the emotional outcomes, educational level and fracture pattern on physical outcomes, and marital status, fracture reduction quality, and ankle motion on both physical and mental component summaries.

Conclusion: Tibial plafond fractures have a significant negative impact on general health-related quality of life regardless of the operative treatment used which reflects injury severity. In addition, psychosocial characteristics of patients may influence the outcomes.