Safety of Tibial Half Pins With Circular External Fixation for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction in Patients With Peripheral Neuropathy.

The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of tibial fracture with half pin placement in conjunction with tensioned wires in Ilizarov static external fixator in patients with peripheral neuropathy. Concentric visualization through a rancho cube and careful identification of anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral borders of the tibia, the "perfect circle" technique was used to ensure avoidance of cortical breach. Bivariate analysis was performed comparing the rates of tibia fractures in those who did and did not employ the "perfect circle" technique for placement of tibial half pins; evaluating for demographics, rationale for external fixation use, and postoperative amputation and complication rates. Tibial stress fractures, and early removal of pin/wires from external fixator secondary to breakage both occurred at statistically significant higher rates in patients in which the "perfect circle" technique was not employed (p < .001 and p = .03 respectively). The overall rate of tibia stress fractures was 2.08% (2/96), 0% (0/85) when "perfect circle" technique was used, compared to 18.18% (2/11) when it was not used. This study demonstrates a substantially low rate of tibia stress fractures with half pin use, in contrast to prior literature and should provide foot and ankle surgeons confidence, particularly when appropriate placement is observed in this high-risk population.