Comparison of suprapatellar and infrapatellar intramedullary nailing for tibial shaft fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Four randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis which compared outcomes between suprapatellar intramedullary nailing and infrapatellar intramedullary nailing. Pooled analysis demonstrated a significant difference between approaches in favour of suprapatellar intramedullary nailing for pain scores, Lysholm scores, and fluoroscopy time. No significant differences were observed in the analyses of range of motion, length of hospital stay, the incidence of delayed union, or the incidence of nonunion.