RESUMO
Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of posterolateral approach combined with anteromedial approach in the treatment of trimalleolus fracture.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed of the 20 patients who had been admitted to The Second Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Tianshui for trimalleolus fractures from January 2016 to August 2020. They were 16 men and 4 women, aged from 20 to 70 years (average, 49.6 years). The lateral malleolus, posterior malleolus and medial malleolus were treated with reduction and internal fixation using the posterolateral approach combined with the anteromedial approach. Postoperative complications were observed, and the foot function was assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and pain visual analog scale (VAS).Results:In this cohort, the operation time ranged from 85 to 115 minutes, averaging 88.4 minutes and the intraoperative blood loss from 50 to 600 mL, averaging 120 mL. All patients were followed up for 12 to 20 months (mean, 14.5 months). The fracture healing time ranged from 3.2 to 5.4 months, averaging 3.8 months. Follow-ups observed no such complications as infection or necrosis of surgical incision, failure of internal fixation, nonunion, or malunion. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score at 12 months after operation (87.8±6.4) was significantly higher than that before operation (32.3±4.9) ( t=29.454, P<0.001); as for VAS, one case scored 0, 13 cases 1 to 3 points and 6 cases 4 points. Conclusion:In the treatment of trimalleolus fracture, a combination of posterolateral approach and anteromedial approach can lead to definitely positive efficacy because of a significant reduction in operation time, intraoperative bleeding and postoperative complications.