The Surgical Treatment of the Unstable Pronation / 대한정형외과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

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 followings1. 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.