Functional and Radiological Outcomes after Locking Compression Plate Fixation of Adult Distal Femur Fractures: A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND

Distal femoral fractures remain challenging injuries because stable fixation must be combined with accurate joint reconstruction, restoration of mechanical alignment, and timely knee mobilization.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess short-term functional and radiographic outcomes and treatment-related complications after distal femur locking compression plate fixation in closed adult distal femur fractures.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This prospective observational study enrolled 32 adults with closed AO/OTA 33A, 33B, or 33C distal femur fractures treated with a distal femur locking compression plate at a tertiary teaching hospital from February 2021 to August 2022. Clinical and radiological assessment was performed at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months using the Neer's scoring system.

RESULTS

The mean patient age was 39.53 ± 10.46 years, and 20 patients (62.5%) were male. Road traffic accidents were responsible for 24 injuries (75.0%). AO/OTA 33C3 was the most common subtype (34.4%). At final follow-up, 21 patients (65.6%) had excellent, 9 (28.1%) good, and 2 (6.2%) fair outcomes; no patient had a poor final score. The combined excellent-good rate was 93.7%. The recorded complications were pain (16.7%), infection (13.3%), stiffness (13.3%), nerve injury (13.3%), myositis (3.3%), hardware prominence (3.3%), and nonunion (3.3%).

CONCLUSION

Distal femur locking compression plate fixation achieved stable fixation with progressive functional and radiological recovery in closed adult distal femoral fractures. Outcomes depend on meticulous reduction, preservation of soft-tissue biology, appropriate construct planning, and supervised rehabilitation.