Presence of magnetic resonance imaging verified soft tissue injuries did not significantly affect the patient-reported outcome 12 months following a lateral tibial plateau fracture: A 12-month prospective cohort study of 56 patients

Background: Soft tissue injuries following lateral tibial plateau fracture affect more than half of patients. Regardless of the type of soft tissue injured, it is still unclear how different treatment strategies influence postoperative outcome. The aim of this study was to report the 12-month Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS₅) of patients with surgically managed lateral tibial plateau fractures divided into groups with and without conservatively managed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-verified soft tissue injuries. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Patients treated surgically following a lateral tibial plateau fracture (AO-41B) between December 2013 and November 2016 were included. Soft tissue injuries were evaluated with preoperative MRI scans. The primary outcome score was the 12-month KOOS₅ score divided into groups with and without soft tissue injuries. Results: A total of 56 patients were included. Average patient age was 56 years (range 22–86). Thirty-three patients (59%) were female. Fifty percent of patients presented with MRI-verified soft tissue injuries. At 12 months postoperatively, the mean KOOS₅ score for patients with soft tissue injuries was 53.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 44.8–62.1) and the KOOS₅ score for patients without soft tissue injuries was 59.6 (95% CI: 50.7–68.6). No significant difference in the KOOS₅ score between patients with and without soft tissue injuries was observed (P =.31). Conclusions: At 12-month follow-up the presence of MRI-verified soft tissue injuries did not significantly affect the patient-reported KOOS₅ score. More research is needed to investigate the effects of surgical vs. non-surgical treatment strategies of associated soft tissue injuries following lateral tibial plateau fractures.