Ipsilateral fractures of the femur and tibia. A report of fifty-seven consecutive cases

Abstract

We treated fifty-seven consecutive ipsilateral fractures of the femur and tibia in fifty-four adults from 1968 through 1978. Twenty-one patients had concomitant life-threatening injuries, and in thirty-three extremities the fractures were open. All but one of the femoral fractures and about half of the tibial fractures were internally fixed. The length of hospitalization averaged five weeks. Local complications included one below-the-knee amputation, three deep infections, and four ununited fractures. A fat embolism syndrome was diagnosed in 13 per cent of the patients. At the last follow-up examination, at an average of 40.5 months after injury, the mean range of motion of the knee was 129 degrees. Over-all, a good or excellent functional result was achieved in about 80 per cent of the patients. The best results were achieved when both fractures were stabilized surgically.