A Clinical Analysis on Treatment of Tibial Fractures Using Ex-Fi-Re External Fixator

Rah, Soo Kyun; Kim, Dae Ik; Choi, Chang Uk

Abstract

Since Malgaigne described a external fixators in 1853, it were widely used for open and communited fractures. Modern external fixators such as modified Hoffman, Denham and of hofix external fixators are commonly applied because it could obtain rigid fixation and compression of fracture site. Most of external fixators used only as a fixator after reduction, however new extemal fixator(Ex-F-Re) by Osteo is consists of two units, which are the correction and fixation units. This device is possible to manipulate fracture fragments under the complete control of stability and to obtain more rigid fixation and compression of fracture site. Among the 16 cases of tibial fractures treated with Ex-Fi-Re external fixator device from June 1992 to June 1993, 14 casrs had minimum 1 year follow up and the following results were obtained. 1. Among 14 cases,7 were open fractures,4 were closed periarticular communited fractures and 3 were infected nonunion of tibia. 2. Among 11 cases of fracture and 3 cases of infected nonunion, nonunion was happened in each one case. 3. Average bony union period was 24.4 weeks in fracture group and 44 weeks in infected nonunion group. 4. Ex-Fi-Re external fixator was very rigid fixator, easy to use, and possible to manipulate fracture fragments under the complete control of stability.