Epidemiology and Treatment of Distal Femoral Fractures in Adults: An Hospital Based Study

Epidemiology and Treatment of Distal Femoral Fractures

Abstract

Background: The frequency of these fractures is elevating with advancing age of the population, but they are less common than the proximal femur. After initial attempts of surgical  management,  high complication frequency were seen that severely affected the   clinical   outcomes. The present study was conducted with the aim to determine the epidemiology and the management strategies of distal femur fractures amongst subjects reporting to the hospital. Subjects and Methods: The present retrospective study analyzed 20 patients with distal femoral fractures managed by different types of surgical and non surgical methods during the period during a period of 4 years.  The epidemiological variables studied were incidence, gender, age and circumstances. The type of management strategies employed were also noted. All the data thus obtained was arranged in a tabulated form and analyzed using SPSS software. Results: A total of 1050 subjects reported to the department with fractures, out of these there were 20 cases of distal femoral fractures. Upon classifying them according to Chirons classification, 3 belonged to Chiron Group I1, 5 belonged to Chiron Group I2, 3 were of Chiron Group II 1 and majority were of Chiron group II 2. 16 were managed by osteosynthesis, out of which 13 were treated by internal  plate  blade  95  , 2 by condylar plate and 1 by external fixator. Conclusion: Fractures of distal femur need to dealt with great care in order to enable good quality of walk and knee function. In our study, majority of the subjects were managed by surgical protocols.