Open fractures of the shaft of the tibia: analysis of wound and fracture treatment.

Cooperation between orthopaedic and plastic surgeons is an important factor in the treatment of open fractures. In this article a report is made on a retrospective study of a 5-year series of open fractures of the shaft of the tibia treated at the University Hospital in Uppsala between 1972 and 1976. The study proves that the change to external fixation of these fractures and 'open' treatment of the wounds has meant that to a large extent the previous use of pedicle flaps to cover skin defects has been replaced by split skin grafts. The results in the reported series were good, with adequate function in most cases. The final results may, however, be less good than they appeared at this early review time.