Tibial plateau fractures present a complex orthopaedic challenge and usually require surgical intervention to restore joint alignment and stability as well as to prevent complications. In practice, determining the most appropriate surgical approach, implant selection and positioning remains a challenge and depends on the surgeon’s experience and patient-specific factors. Therefore, this scoping review aims to map the current evidence on surgical fixation methods for proximal tibia fractures in adults. In particular, we seek to first assess study types and their distribution across levels of evidence and second to identify knowledge gaps to support evidence-based surgical planning.
The proposed scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Information for this study will be gathered from Medline, Cochrane and Embase. Data analysis will involve categorising the studies by their level of evidence and extracting predefined parameters, including fracture characteristics, surgical approach, implant type and key findings relevant to the review question. The study focuses on surgically stabilised intra-articular proximal tibia fractures in adults. Only English- and German-language studies that are available in full text and published after 1995 will be included.
No ethical approval is required. The findings of the proposed review will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Open Science Framework, osf.io/g9zfu.