To evaluate the correlation between 3 different instruments, SF-36 Health Survey, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and Rasmussen Score, for measurement of surgical out-comes of tibial plateau fractures, and their clinical significances as well.

Included in this study were 94 patients with tibial plateau fracture who had been consecutively treated and followed up from January 2009 through February 2015 at our department. Their surgical outcomes were measured by SF-36 Health Survey, HSS-knee score and Rasmussen Score respectively for health-related quality of life (HRQL), knee function, and reduction of fracture. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the correlation between the 3 measurement instruments.

94 cases eventually finished their following-ups. The mean follow-up was 41.2 months (range, from 12 to 75 months). The Rasmussen scores for their first postoperative X-ray films averaged 14.7±2.1 points, their HSS-knee scores at the final follow-up averaged 81.0±13.7 points, and their SF-36 scores at the final follow-up averaged 85.5±10.0 points. Statistical analysis showed that the HSS-knee score was positively related to the SF-36 score and Rasmussen score (P< 0.05) but not to the Rasmussen score (P >0.05).

Fine reduction may be the basis for good functional recovery of the knee and good functional recovery may benefit the HRQL of the patients, but merely good fracture reduction does not promise a high HRQL for patients with tibial plateau fracture. In the treatment of tibial plateau fractures, it is not enough to take care of fracture reduction and functional recovery, and the HRQL of patients should be taken into consideration. More attention should be paid to other important factors influencing the HRQL of patients.

Knee joint; Fractures, bone; Comparative study; Quality of life