Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37656278›Full record

SynthesisEuropean journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie2024

A comparison of outcomes of locking versus non-locking plate fixation for the distal fibula fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mandeep Singh Dhillon, Rajesh Kumar Rajnish, Prasoon Kumar, Siddhartha Sharma, Gagan Preet Singh, Amit Srivastava

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.0field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Functional outcome in mini-fragment plating of the fibula in unstable ankle fractures.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Mandeep Singh DhillonDepartment of Orthopaedics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.
Rajesh Kumar RajnishDepartment of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. duktiraj@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2080-2612
Prasoon KumarDepartment of Orthopaedics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.
Siddhartha SharmaDepartment of Orthopaedics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.
Gagan Preet SinghDepartment of Orthopaedics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, India.
Amit SrivastavaDepartment of Orthopaedics, University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, Delhi, India.
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research · INAll India Institute of Medical Sciences · INAll India Institute of Medical Sciences Jodhpur · INUniversity College of Medical Sciences · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeA locking plate (LP) or non-locking plate (NLP) can be used for distal fibula fracture fixation. However, the advantages of LP over NLP in patients with distal fibula fractures are not clear. In terms of indications, the role of the two plates probably differs; however, to draw comparative conclusions, we conceptualized this systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that directly compared the two plates, wherein both groups' indications and baseline parameters were similar.

methodsAn electronic literature search was performed using PubMed/Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases for studies comparing the LP versus NLP fixation for the lateral malleolus fracture. A total of 18 studies were included in qualitative and quantitative analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed for patients aged < 55 years and patients aged > 55 years. The statistical analysis was performed by Review Manager Software version 5.4.1.

resultsA meta-analysis of 4243 fractures was performed across 18 studies. The rate of fracture union and overall complication rates did not differ between the two fixation groups with an OR of 0.71 (95% CI 0.26, 1.96, p = 0.51 and 1.11 (95% CI 0.84, 1.47, p = 0.47, respectively. There is no difference in the reoperation rate due to minor or major complications between the two groups. There was no difference in functional outcome (MD -0.85, with 95% CI -5.63, 3.93, p = 0.73), but NLP has a shorter surgical duration (MD 3.0, with 95% CI 0.26, 5.75, p = 0.03). A leave-one-out sensitivity analysis performed for overall complications affected the final outcome of the meta-analysis.

conclusionThis meta-analysis demonstrates no clear benefit in selecting LP over NLP for the fixation of lateral malleolus fractures.

Indexed as

Ankle FracturesFibula FracturesBone PlatesFibulaFracture Fixation, InternalHumansReoperationTreatment OutcomeAnkle fractureDistal fibula fractureLateral malleolus fractureLocking plateMeta-analysisNon-locking plate

Identifiers

PMID37656278
OpenAlexW4386346987

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.