PURPOSE: There are no previous epidemiological studies to represent the trends of tibia fractures in the urban setting. The purpose of our study was to provide unique epidemiological information on the incidence of tibia fractures requiring admission in the urban population of Singapore. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of clinical and radiological records encompassing three years period from 2012 to 2014 in a tertiary hospital in Northern Singapore, which covers an adult population of 550,000. Clinical information included demographics, mechanism of injury, and Gustillo-Anderson classification. Radiological records were evaluated by two of the authors and fractures were classified using the AO classification after consensus was reached. RESULTS: There were 214 cases of tibia fractures with a population incidence of 13 in 100,000. Among the tibia fractures, 47% were diaphyseal, 43% proximal and 10% distal. Majority of patients were males with a male to female ratio of 3 to 1. The mean age of females was 64 years while that of males was 40 years. The commonest mechanism of injury was road traffic accident, which contributed to 42% of cases, with motorcyclists making up 78% of all road traffic accidents. Compound fractures made up 23% of all fractures, most of which were Gustillo-Anderson type III; 69% of patients underwent surgical intervention. CONCLUSION The incidence of tibia fractures is 13/100,000 with a male-to-female ratio of 3:1. This incidence is lower than other studies, but the proportion of open fractures were surprisingly high at 23%. Distribution of fractures was unimodal with a peak in younger men and older women. This may signify a component of fragility among tibia fractures, especially proximal and distal fractures, which peaks above the age of 80 years old.
Accidents, Traffic ; statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hospitalization ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Tibia ; diagnostic imaging ; Tibial Fractures ; classification ; diagnostic imaging ; epidemiology ; surgery ; Time Factors ; Urban Population ; statistics & numerical data

A below knee amputation (BKA) requires sufficient stump length for the fitting of a modern prosthesis. In cases of trauma where the levels of injury are unpredictable, achieving sufficient stump length can be a challenge. We described a case report of using the Ilizarov technique for bone lengthening at the residual BKA stump for a patient who sustained a mangled limb following a road traffic accident. Using this technique, we have successfully lengthened the tibial stump adequately for a functioning prosthesis. As shown in this case, we believe that this technique could attain an excellent outcome for a selected group of patients with short residual BKA stump.