Healing Calcaneal Fractures: Ilizarov vs Plate Fixation

When it comes to treating calcaneal fractures, doctors have different opinions on the best approach. A recent study compared the outcomes of two treatment methods: the Ilizarov method and internal plate fixation. The study looked at 45 patients from two medical centers, with 26 patients treated using the Ilizarov method and 19 patients treated with plate fixation.

The patients' ages were similar in both groups, with the Ilizarov group having a median age of 55 years and the plate group having a median age of 46 years. However, the hospital stay was slightly longer for the Ilizarov group, with a median stay of 9 days compared to 8 days for the plate group.

The time it took for the fractures to heal was also different between the two groups. The plate group had a median healing time of 65 days, while the Ilizarov group took a median of 82.5 days to heal. But, the Ilizarov group had better results in terms of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, with a median score of 74 compared to 67 for the plate group.

Complications were more common in the Ilizarov group, with 5 patients experiencing superficial infections. In contrast, the plate group had no complications. However, the Ilizarov group had fewer cases of osteoarthritis in the subtalar joints, with 8 patients affected compared to 17 patients in the plate group.

The study also found that patients in the plate group were more likely to need pain medication after treatment, with 12 patients requiring additional pain relief compared to 2 patients in the Ilizarov group. The researchers noted that the results should be interpreted with caution due to the study's limitations, including the lack of blinding for subjective outcomes and the imbalance in Sanders severity between the two groups.