[Behavior of patients with tibial pilon fractures treated by external fixation].

INTRODUCTION: Tibial pylon fractures are difficult to manage injuries due to their anatomical situation, mechanism of production, and damage to the surrounding soft tissue. Surgical treatment is the most widely used, including external fixation that can be used temporarily or permanently.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of external fixation in patients with tibial pylon fractures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A pre-experimental study with a level of evidence II, recommendation grade B, was carried out in 34 patients with tibial pylon fracture, treated from January 2014 to February 2020. From the statistical point of view, the distribution of absolute and relative frequencies was used for qualitative variables and for quantitative variables, the Student's t test.

RESULTS: The general average age was 45.8 years, the male sex predominated with a ratio of 1.4 to 1 and the closed-open fractures 1.8 to 1. Type A fractures predominated according to the classification of the AO group. In relation to open fractures, 3A types predominated. Significance between a before and after was detected when applying the Olreud C and Molander H scales, from the American Ankle and Foot Society, and the Ankle Scoring System. The complications of the surgical procedure were minimal.

CONCLUSIONS: External fixation in patients with tibial pylon fractures is an effective method that can be used immediately and definitively in patients with both open and closed fractures with few complications.