SynthesisJournal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology2023
Suprapatellar vs infrapatellar approaches for intramedullary nailing of distal tibial fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Surgical outcomes and complications of fixation strategies for distal tibial fractures: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy comparison between intramedullary nail fixation and plate fixation in distal tibia fractures: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Pooled it
- Suprapatellar Tibial Nailing in Skeletally Immature Patients: A Case Series.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2026Article
- Suprapatellar versus infrapatellar tibial nailing: the ongoing debate.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2026Review
- Article
- A matched comparison of suprapatellar and infrapatellar approaches in intramedullary nailing for distal tibial fractures: a study of alignment including rotation and mid-term outcomes.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025Article
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of suprapatellar versus infrapatellar approach in intramedullary nailing for the treatment of tibial fractures.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- Infrapatellar Approach to Intramedullary Nail Fixation of Distal One-Fourth Tibial Fractures.Clinics in orthopedic surgery · 2025Article
- Long-term patient reported outcome measures and kneeling function in patients with tibial intramedullary nails.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2024Article
- Suprapatellar tibial fracture nailing is associated with lower rate for acute compartment syndrome and the need for fasciotomy compared with the infrapatellar approach.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis review was conducted to compare the efficacy of suprapatellar (SP) and infrapatellar (IP) approaches for treating distal tibial fractures with intramedullary nailing.
methodThis systematic review included studies comparing the outcomes of patients receiving nailing for distal tibial fractures using the SP and IP approaches. We searched the Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE and Embase databases for relevant studies till 18th Sep. 2022. We used the Newcastle Ottawa Scale to assess study quality and a random-effects meta-analysis to synthesize the outcomes. We used the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) for continuous data and the odds ratio (OR) with the 95% CI for dichotomous data.
resultsFour studies with 586 patients (302 in the SP group and 284 in the IP group) were included in this systematic review. The SP group may have had little or no difference in pain and slightly better knee function (MD 3.90 points, 95% CI 0.83 to 5.36) and better ankle function (MD: 8.25 points, 95% CI 3.35 to 13.15) than the IP group 12 months after surgery. Furthermore, compared to the IP group, the SP group had a lower risk of malalignment (OR: 0.22, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.75; number needed to treat (NNT): 6), a lower risk for open reduction (OR: 0.58, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.97; NNT: 16) and a shorter surgical time (MD: - 15.14 min, 95% CI - 21.28 to - 9.00).
conclusionsWith more advantages, the suprapatellar approach may be the preferred nailing technique over the infrapatellar approach when treating distal tibial fractures. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, systematic review of non-randomized studies.
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