Minimally Invasive Treatment of Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures.

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgical techniques are increasingly used for definitive treatment of displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures. These approaches have been shown to minimize soft tissue injury, preserve blood supply, and decrease operative time. These methods can be applied to all calcaneal fractures and have particular advantages in patients with higher than usual risks to the soft tissues. The literature suggests that results of limited soft tissue dissection approaches provide equivalent outcomes to those obtained with the extensile lateral approach. We predict that as imaging and other techniques continue to improve, more calcaneal fractures will be treated by these appealing safer techniques.