Objectives: To determine the incidence of iatrogenic peroneal nerve palsy after application of an intraoperative lateral distractor during open reduction and internal fixation of tibial plateau fractures.
Design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Single academic Level I trauma center.
Patients: One hundred forty-seven patients met criteria and were included in the study.
Intervention: Patients with unicondylar and bicondylar tibial plateau fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation and received application of an intraoperative lateral distractor to aid in visualization and reduction of the impacted lateral plateau.
Main outcome measurements: Incidence of iatrogenic peroneal nerve palsy.
Results: There was a 2.0% incidence of iatrogenic peroneal nerve symptoms (3 of 147 patients), most of which were incomplete sensory deficits. There was no association with staged external fixation, regional anesthesia, or tourniquet use.
Conclusion: Use of an intraoperative lateral distractor is safe and has a low incidence of iatrogenic peroneal nerve palsy if applied carefully.
Level of evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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