What is a plafond fracture?
A pilon fracture is a type of break of the shinbone (tibia) that happens near the ankle. Most of the time, it includes breaks in both the tibia and fibula of the lower leg. The lower ends of these bones make up part of the ankle. The term “pilon” comes from the French word for pestle.
What does tibial plafond mean?
Tibial plafond (“pilon”) fractures involve the distal articular surface of the tibia and extend to the metaphysis. Term first introduced as description of the distal tibial metaphysis—pestle-shaped “pilon” Plafond (French for “ceiling”) refers to the horizontal distal tibial articular surface.
What is a comminuted tibial fracture?
Displaced, comminuted: A fracture where the bones are broken in several fragments and are not aligned. This fracture can be caused by high-energy trauma, such as a car accident or being struck by a vehicle. The treatment includes setting the bone without surgery and a long-leg cast worn for four to eight weeks.
What is the anterior tibial plafond?
Summary. A tibial plafond fracture (also known as a pilon fracture) is a fracture of the distal end of the tibia, most commonly associated with comminution, intra-articular extension, and significant soft tissue injury.
Where is the tibia plafond?
The distal articular surface of the tibia is also referred to as the plafond, originating from the French “plat” (meaning flat) and “fond” (meaning bottom).
Where is the anterior tibial plafond?
Tibial plafond fractures represent an injury adjacent to the ankle that may involve a wide array of articular, metaphyseal, and soft-tissue compromise. The AO/OTA classification is widely used to describe long bone injuries, with AO/OTA 43-C fractures corresponding to the majority of high-energy plafond fractures.
What is the medial tibial plafond?
A tibial plafond fracture (also called a tibial pilon fracture) occurs at the end of the shin bone and involves the ankle joint. As is the case with tibial plateau fractures, these injuries occur close to the joint and must be treated with the cartilage surface of the ankle joint in mind.
Is a comminuted fracture serious?
They are very serious in large bones, and you will often need surgery to repair your bones. Sometimes, comminuted fractures happen to smaller bones and can heal without surgery.
Do comminuted fractures need surgery?
You might need to have surgery if you have a comminuted fracture. This will help put your broken bones back into place. Sometimes your doctor will use metal rods or pins, called internal or external fixation, to hold your bone fragments together while they heal. These might go inside or outside of your body.
What is the most common ankle fracture?
Lateral malleolus fracture: This is the most common type of ankle fracture. It is a break of the lateral malleolus, the knobby bump on the outside of the ankle (in the lower portion of the fibula).
What is a bilateral fracture of the ankle?
Bimalleolar ankle fracture is a fracture that occurs in both the lateral and medial malleoli at the distal end of the tibia and fibula bones that articulate with talus bone to form the ankle joint or tibiotalar joint.
Where is the posterior tibial plafond?
Tibial plafond fractures occur just above the ankle joint and involve that critical cartilage surface of the ankle. The other major factor that must be considered with these injuries is the soft-tissue around the ankle region.