Arthroscopic treatment of tibial eminence fracture: a systematic review of different fixation methods.

INTRODUCTION

Arthroscopy procedures are the gold standard for the management of tibial spine avulsion. This review evaluates and compares different arthroscopic treatment options for tibial spine fractures.

SOURCE OF DATA: PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Google Scholar and Embase databases were systematically searched with no limit regarding the year of publication.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT: An arthroscopic approach compared with arthrotomy reduces complications such as soft-tissue lesions, post-operative pain and length of hospitalization.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: The use of suture techniques, compared to cannulated screw technique, avoids a second surgery for removal of the screws, but requires longer immobilization and partial weight bearing.

GROWING POINTS: Clinical outcomes and radiographic results do not seem to differ in relation to the chosen method of fixation.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: Further studies are needed to produce clear guidelines to define the best choice in terms of clinical outcomes, function and complications.