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Emergency Medicine174 papers

Open fracture of tibial condyle

Last edited: 4/10/2026

Overview

An open fracture of the tibial condyle involves a break in the upper part of the tibia bone that extends through the skin, creating a communication between the fracture site and the external environment. These injuries are complex and often associated with significant soft tissue damage and potential joint instability.

Diagnosis

  • Classification systems are required for thorough preoperative diagnostics and documentation of injury severity 1.
  • The Posterolateral Instability Score (PoLIS) is a proposed classification system that considers lateral instability, cruciate ligament involvement, and relevant covariates, ranging from 1 to 18 points to depict injury severity 1.
  • Management

  • Surgical decision-making is guided by classification systems 1.
  • Key Recommendations

  • Classification criteria are required to account for thorough preoperative diagnostics, surgical decision-making, and standardized scientific documentation of injury severity 1.
  • The Posterolateral Instability Score (PoLIS) can be used to assess and document the injury severity of injuries to the lateral side of the knee 1.
  • Accurate classification criteria are needed to address the confusion and ambiguity in communication regarding posterolateral knee instabilities 1.
  • References

    1 Weiler A, Frosch KH, Gwinner C, Strobel MJ, Lobenhoffer P. The Posterolateral Instability Score (PoLIS) of the knee joint: a guideline for standardized documentation, classification, and surgical decision-making. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA 2021. link

    Original source

    1. [1]
      The Posterolateral Instability Score (PoLIS) of the knee joint: a guideline for standardized documentation, classification, and surgical decision-making.Weiler A, Frosch KH, Gwinner C, Strobel MJ, Lobenhoffer P Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA (2021)

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