Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical effect of minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis (MIPO) and intramedullary interlocking nail (IIN) in the treatment of distal tibial fracture. Methods This study was a single center prospective randomized controlled trial. A total of 60 patients with distal tibial fracture who received treatment at Jinjiang Municipal Hospital was selected and divided into MIPO group and INN group randomly(n=30, each). The main intra-operative indicator included operation time and intra-operative X-ray time. X-ray was used to evaluate the fracture healing time, malformation, delayed union and complications at post-operative follow-up, and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score was used to assess the function. Results All the 60 patients were followed up for 12-22(18±5) months and there were 20 cases of open fractures (11 cases in MIPO group and 9 cases in INN group). There was no significant difference in operation time between MIPO group and IIN group [59-196(115±46) min vs 42-188(100±37) min, P>0.05]. The intra-operative X-ray time in MIPO group was significant longer than that in INN group [7-81(42±20) s vs 6-54(22±14) s, P<0.01]. There was no significant difference in fracture healing time between MIPO group and IIN group [10-28(17.5±5)weeks vs 11-26(17.6±4)weeks, P>0.05]. There was no malformation in neither group, and there were 2 cases of delayed union in both group. There were 2 cases of infection in MIPO group and 1 case in IIN group, and all of them were cured by antibiotics. There was no significant difference in AOFAS socre between MIPO group and IIN group [66-98(79.5±9) vs 66-94(80.7±7), P>0.05]. Conclusion Both MIPO and IIN is a safe and effective treatment for distal tibial fracture, which could achieve a good fracture healing rate and a well ankle function recovery without increasing infection rate and affecting wound healing.