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Objective: To investigate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of full repair strategy under small incision in the treatment of closed Lauge-Hansen pronation-external rotation type Ⅳ ankle fracture. Methods: The clinical data of 57 patients with closed Lauge-Hansen pronation-external rotation type Ⅳ ankle fracture treated by full repair strategy (fracture, ligament, and cartilage repair) under small incision between January 2012 and January 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 31 males and 26 females, with an average age of 41.1 years (range, 21-65 years). The causes of injury included traffic accident injury in 33 cases and falling injury in 24 cases. All of them were closed fractures, including 20 cases of medial malleolus fracture, 37 cases of complete medial malleolus but deep and shallow rupture of deltoid ligament. The average time from injury to admission was 9.6 hours (range, 3-34 hours). The quality of reduction of distal tibial articular surface (based on Ketz-Sanders standard), the reduction of tibiofibular syndesmosis (the anterior and posterior distances of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis and the lateral ankle twist angle measured by CT scan at 10 mm above the ankle joint line), and the fracture healing were evaluated. The medial clear space (MCS), tibiofibular clear space (TFCS), and distal fibular tip to lateral process of talus (DFTL) were measured on the X-ray films of ankle points. Before and after operation, the pain and functional improvement of ankle joint were evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) score and American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Association (AOFAS) score, and the activities of ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion were measured. Results: Three cases with osteochondral lesions of the talus were found during operation and all were treated with microfracture techniques. Tournament paralysis occurred in 2 cases after anesthesia. The surgical incisions healed by first intention in all patients. All the 57 patients were followed up 24-84 months, with an average of 38.6 months. All patients achieved bone healing without bone nonunion and malunion at 12 months after operation. The reduction quality of distal tibial articular surface was excellent in 56 cases and good in 1 case at 3 months after operation, the excellent and good rate was 100%. There was no significant difference in the MCS, TFCS, DFTL, anterior distance of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, posterior distance of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, and lateral ankle twist angle between the affected and healthy sides at 12 months after operation ( P>0.05). At last follow-up, the VAS score, AOFAS score, ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion activities of the affected side were significantly improved when compared with preoperative ones ( P0.05). Conclusion: Full-repair strategy under small incisions for the treatment of Lauge-Hansen pronation-external rotation type Ⅳ ankle fracture is effective and safe. It can not only reduce wound complications, but also improve the quality of joint reduction of the ankle joint and distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. Full repair of ligaments and cartilage can improve the internal fixation strength and joint stability of the ankle joint.
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Objective To investigate the feasibility of manual reduction with inverse shift for pronation-extorsion trimalleolar fracture by applying the finite element method combined with clinical experience. Methods Based on CT images and anatomical features of bone, ligaments and other tissues as well as material parameters, a normal ankle model with completed muscles and bones for a Chinese young male was established. According to the related characteristics of the pronation-extorsion trimalleolar fractures, fracture was simulated in the proper position to make osteotomy model. The finite element model of pronation-extorsion trimalleolar fractures was thus established and then applied with mechanical loading to simulate manual reduction with inverse shift. Results The established finite element model of pronation-extorsion trimalleolar fractures was effectively restored by the displacement loading. Conclusions The finite element analysis on pronation-extorsion trimalleolar fractures by inverse shift maneuver could further prove the feasibility, effectiveness and scientificity of manual reduction with inverse shift based on clinical experience.
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<p><b>Background</b>In treatment of ankle fracture, intraoperative stress tests are used to assess the syndesmotic injury and instability. However, the optimized timing of the strees test should be applied whether in pre- or post-bony fixation during operation is seldom be reported in previous studies. The different strategies on stress test timing would exhibit opposite results within a type of pronation-external rotation (PER) fractures with supracollicular medial malleolar (SMM) fractures. This study was designed to assess the 3-year functional outcomes of the special PER fractures with or without a syndesmotic transfixation based on the results of two different intraoperative stress test strategies.</p><p><b>Methods</b>This retrospective cohort study included 61 PER injury-Weber C ankle fractures combined with SMM fractures who were treated in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital between 2013 and 2014 and followed up for 3 years. Stress test was performed twice intraoperatively. A positive intraoperative stress test before bony fixation and a negative intraoperative stress test after bony fixation were found in these included patients. Twenty-nine patients (Group 1) were treated without a supplemental syndesmotic screw fixation, according to the negative intraoperative stress test after bony fixation, while 32 patients (Group 2) were treated with an additional syndesmotic screw fixation based on the positive intraoperative stress test before bony fixation. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Scale and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain scores were the main measurements of outcome. The statistical index of demographic data, fracture morphologic data, time interval of follow-up, AOFAS and VAS were recorded and assessed by SPSS 21.0 software through Fisher exact tests and one-way analysis of variance. The associations between the main outcomes and influential factors were evaluated by linear regression models.</p><p><b>Results</b>We observed no difference in the distribution of age, sex, presence of associated posterior malleolus (PM), fracture dislocation, and fixation of associated PM between two treatment groups. With the numbers available, no statistically significant association could be detected with regard to the AOFAS (Group 1 vs. Group 2, 96.72 ± 6.20 vs. 94.63 ± 8.26, F = 1.24, P = 0.27) and VAS (Group 1 vs. Group 2, 1.47 ± 2.14 vs. 0.72 ± 1.49, F = 2.44, P = 0.12) in association with two strategies.</p><p><b>Conclusions</b>The present study indicates no difference to the use of the syndesmotic screw in terms of the functional outcome between syndesmosis transfixation and no-fixation patients among PER-Weber C ankle fracture patients with SMM fracture after 3-year follow-up. More attention should be paid to pre- and post-bony-fixation intraoperative stress tests and the morphology of medial malleoli fractures in ankle fractures.</p>
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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the difference between using and not using syndesmotic screw to treat pronation external rotation (PER) ankle fracture combined with separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. METHODS: Between April 2011 and October 2014, 46 cases of PER ankle fracture combined with separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis were treated, and syndesmotic screw was used in 24 cases (fixation group) and syndesmotic screw was not used in 22 cases (non-fixation group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, weight, cause of injury, side, injury to operation time, and fracture type between 2 groups (P>0.05). The time for full weight-bearing, fracture healing time, and complications were recorded after operation. Anteroposterior and lateral X-ray films were taken to measure the tibiofibular overlap (TBOL) and tibiofibular clear space (TBCS). Baird-Jackson score was used to evaluate functional recovery of the ankle. RESULTS: All incision healed by first intention without complications. The cases were followed up 13-18 months (mean, 15.2 months) in 2 groups. The time for full weight-bearing was 8-12 weeks (median, 11 weeks) in fixation group, which was significantly later than that in non-fixation group (range, 6-10 weeks; median, 8 weeks) (Z=-5.049, P=0.000). X-ray examination showed reduction of separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. All fractures healed. The fracture healing time was (13.83±1.37) weeks in fixation group, and was (13.91±1.31) weeks in non-fixation group, showing no significant difference (t=-0.191, P=0.945). No separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, delayed union, nonunion, loosening, or breakage of fixation devices was observed in 2 groups. There was no significant difference in TBOL, TBCS, Baird-Jackson score and the excellent and good rate between 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: If the medial, lateral, and posterior structures of the ankle could be repaired according to injury, no significant influence on functional outcome of ankle or radiologic findings could be detected whether syndesmotic fixation is given or not in treating PER ankle fracture (exclude Maisonneuve fracture) combined with separation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.
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Pronation-external rotation ankle fractures are divided into four stages by Lauge-Hansen who placed the individual components of an ankle injury in their correct sequence in time so that, when the end point is represented by a fracture, the presence of intermediary ligament injuries may be inferred. Pronation-external rotation stages 3 and 4 injuries have severe soft tissue injuries and may be too difficult to reduce with closed method and to maintain with plaster immobilization. They also require attention because of a high level fraeture of the fibula and rupture of all ligaments of the syndesmosis or a avulsion fracture of their bone insertion. If anatomical reductions and rigid internal fixations were not performed. the results were worse than other types of ankle injuries. We reviewed the results of 31 patients with pronation external rotation ankle fractures who were followed from 18 months to 7 years. All cases were managed with open reduction and internal fixation with a plate, a screw or screws, a tension band wiring and multiple K-wires. All patients were treated and followed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keimyung University, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea and their results were rated on a clinical and roentgenological basis. The results obtained from this study were as followings:1. Most of the patients were in the age range between 20 and 39 (64.7% ) and 58.1% of the injuries occured in traffic accidents. 2. A plating considered as an effective method to obtain maintenance of appropriate anatomical reduction and rigid internal fixation of the distal fibula was used. 3. The accuracy of the reduction affected the degree of the arthrosis in long term follow-up. 4. A degree of initial displacement is considered as one of the important factors affecting the clinical results. 5. 80.7% were rated good to excellent.