[Fractures of the head of the tibia. Evaluation of an East German multicenter study 1981-1985].

The successful therapy of fractures of caput tibiae has always been the "haut ecol" of every treatment of fractures. A study made by 52 surgical clinics of the GDR which examined 1,954 patients who were under medical therapy between 1981 to 1985 summarizes the results. The patients have been examined for a period of 4.5 years in average. The study comparing the results of conservative and surgical medical therapy shows that there is no difference between the results of both methods of medical therapy regardless whether all kinds of fractures or whether only the same kinds of fractures were compared. Even if we consider the impression-fractures we come to the same result although we were of the opinion up to now, that impression-fractures should be treated in a surgical way only. The results of the study make clear the necessity of a strong indication for a surgical treatment and also that an early functional conservative therapy has the same results.