Can an open displaced tibial fracture be treated without surgery? a treatment discussion: a case report

Abstract

The authors present a case of a 70-year-old female with left tibial open fracture (Gustillo-Anderson type II) with previous history of trauma of the same limb, from which resulted a Morel-Lavallee injury complicated with extensive tissue necrosis. Considering the sequel condition of soft tissues (scarring and extensive fibrosis), conservative treatment was taken and successful result was achieved. In this case the biggest concern was not the traumatic tissue damage caused by the fall, but the poor quality of tissues already existent before this event. Although surgical treatment is the gold standard in these cases, we must analyze case by case the risk benefit of each procedure and choose the one we believe is the best for the patient.