Definitive plates overlapping provisional external fixator pin sites: is the infection risk increased?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the infection risk when internal fixation plates either overlap or did not overlap previous external fixator pin sites in patients with bicondylar tibial plateau fractures and pilon fractures treated with a 2-staged protocol of acute spanning external fixation and later definitive internal fixation.

Design: Retrospective comparison study.

Setting: Two level I trauma centers.