{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,13]],"date-time":"2026-09-13T09:05:18Z","timestamp":1789290318732,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Indian Orthopaedic Research Group","issue":"8","content-domain":{"domain":["jocr.co.in"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Jocr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Patellar fractures require internal fixation via a skin incision that must balance intraoperative exposure with cosmetic outcome. Vertical midline and horizontal curvilinear patella-centered incisions are both used, but comparative evidence on their functional and cosmetic outcomes remains limited.\n\nMaterials and Methods: A prospective, randomized comparative study was conducted on 60 patients undergoing internal fixation of patellar fractures, allocated equally to vertical midline (n = 30) or horizontal curvilinear (n = 30) incision groups by serial-number randomization. Patients were followed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks, with functional outcome assessed by Oxford Knee Score, knee flexion, extension lag, and kneeling ability\/comfort, and cosmetic outcome assessed by scar width, length, tenderness, pigmentation, and scar type. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and Chi-square test, with P &lt; 0.05 considered significant.\n\nResults: Baseline characteristics, intraoperative parameters, radiological union time, and complication rates were comparable between groups (P &gt; 0.05). The vertical group showed transiently greater knee flexion at 6 weeks (P = 0.004), which equalized by 12\u201324 weeks. The horizontal group demonstrated significantly better outcomes at 24 weeks, including narrower and shorter scars, less tenderness, higher Oxford Knee Score (43.20 \u00b1 2.46 vs. 36.13 \u00b1 3.62; P &lt; 0.001), and superior kneeling duration and comfort (P &lt; 0.05). Normal scar healing at 24 weeks was more frequent with horizontal incision (80.0% vs. 46.7%), though not statistically significant (P = 0.124).\n\nConclusion: Horizontal curvilinear incision achieves functional recovery at least equivalent to, and cosmetic outcome superior to, vertical midline incision in patellar fracture fixation, without compromising surgical feasibility or safety.\n\nKeywords: Patellar fracture, internal fixation, surgical incision, Oxford Knee Score, scar outcome, cosmesis.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.13107\/jocr.2026.v16.i08.7950","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T13:41:15Z","timestamp":1786628475000},"page":"553-560","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.13107\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Functional and Cosmetic Outcome in Vertical Midline versus Horizontal Curvilinear Patella-Centered Incision in Internal Fixation of Patellar Fractures"],"prefix":"10.13107","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Yash","family":"Agrawal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ashok","family":"Vidyarthi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Varun","family":"Verma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"5271","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"container-title":["Journal of Orthopaedic Case Reports"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,13]],"date-time":"2026-09-13T08:45:25Z","timestamp":1789289125000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/jocr.co.in\/wp\/2026\/08\/functional-and-cosmetic-outcome-in-vertical-midline-versus-horizontal-curvilinear-patella-centered-incision-in-internal-fixation-of-patellar-fractures\/"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.13107\/jocr.2026.v16.i08.7950","relation":{},"ISSN":["2321-3817"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2321-3817","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"assertion":[{"value":"Research Article","name":"content_type","label":"Content Type"},{"value":"Yes","name":"crosschecked","label":"CrossChecked"},{"value":"Yes","name":"peer_reviewed","label":"Peer Reviewed"},{"value":"10.13107\/jocr.2026.v16.i08.7950","name":"published","label":"Published"},{"value":"Creative Commons Attribution","name":"license","label":"License","explanation":{"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},"group":{"name":"rights","label":"Rights"}}]}}