ABSTRACT
The authors investigated the effect of x-ray tube head angulation and central ray direction on the position of the first metatarsal relative to the second metatarsal in the lateral foot radiographic view. This preliminary study shows that these variables may influence the perception of metatarsus primus elevatus in the weightbearing lateral foot radiograph.
Subject(s)
Foot Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Foot/diagnostic imaging , Metatarsal Bones/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Metatarsal Bones/physiology , Metatarsal Bones/physiopathology , Models, Structural , Podiatry/methods , Radiography/methods , Random Allocation , Reproducibility of Results , Research Design/standards , Weight-BearingABSTRACT
Osteochondral lesions of the talar dome are commonly the result of ankle trauma. While the technique of surgical repair of ankle fractures has been well reported, there are no studies that correlate the presence or absence of talar dome lesions. A possible explanation for this may be lack of intraoperative inspection of the talar articular surface. This retrospective study evaluates the incidence of lateral talar dome lesions in 50 supination-external rotation stage IV ankle fractures. Specifically, operative reports were reviewed for the presence of lateral talar dome lesions documented through intraoperative inspection. Overall, 19 of 50 fractures, or 38%, were found to have a lateral talar dome lesion. While the bimalleolar and deltoid ligament tear type fractures exhibited more talar dome lesions, there was no significant difference between these two fracture types (p = .1111). There was no statistically significant difference among the three types (unimalleolar, bimalleolar, and trimalleolar) of supination-external rotation ankle fractures (p = .0804). The authors conclude that intraoperative inspection of the lateral talar dome should be a routine part of ankle fracture repair.
