ABSTRACT
Objectives: Patients with ankle fractures associated with diabetes experience more complications following standard open reduction-internal fixation (ORIF) than those without diabetes. Augmented fixation strategies, namely extended ORIF and hindfoot nails (HFNs), may offer better results and early weightbearing in this group. The aim of this study was to define the population of patients with diabetes undergoing primary fixation for ankle fractures. Secondarily, we aimed to assess the utilisation of standard and augmented strategies and the effect of these choices on surgical outcomes, including early post-operative weightbearing and surgical complications. Methods: A national multicentre retrospective cohort study was conducted between January and June 2019 in 56 centres (10 major trauma centres and 46 trauma units) in the United Kingdom; 1360 patients with specifically defined complex ankle fractures were enrolled. The patients' demographics, fixation choices and surgical and functional outcomes were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed to compare high-risk patients with and without diabetes. Results: There were 316 patients in the diabetes cohort with a mean age of 63.9 yrs (vs. 49.3 yrs. in the non-diabetes cohort), and a greater frailty score > 4 (24% vs. 14% (non-diabetes cohort) (p < 0.03)); 7.5% had documented neuropathy. In the diabetes cohort, 79.7% underwent standard ORIF, 7.1% extended ORIF and 10.2% an HFN, compared to 87.7%, 3.0% and 10.3% in the non-diabetes cohort. Surgical wound complications after standard-ORIF were higher in the diabetes cohort (15.1% vs. 8.7%) (p < 0.02), but patients with diabetes who underwent augmented techniques showed little difference in surgical outcomes/complications compared to non-diabetes patients, even though early-weightbearing rates were greater than for standard-ORIF. Conclusions: Ankle fractures in diabetes occur in older, frailer patients, whilst lower-than-expected neuropathy rates suggest a need for improved assessment. Augmented surgical techniques may allow earlier weightbearing without increasing complications, in keeping with modern guidelines in ankle fracture management.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Biomechanical studies have shown that translation of the proximal radius relative to the capitellum in the sagittal plane can predict integrity of the collateral ligaments in a transolecranon fracture model; no studies have examined this in clinical practice. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Nineteen consecutive transolecranon fracture dislocations were retrospectively reviewed. Data collection included patient demographics, fracture classifications, surgical management, and failure with instability. Distance between the center of the radial head and the center of the capitellum was measured on initial radiographs by 2 independent raters on 3 separate occasions. Statistical analysis was used to compare the median displacement between patients who required collateral ligament repair for stability and those who did not. RESULTS: Sixteen cases with a mean age of 57 years (range 32-85) were analyzed with an inter-rater Pearson coefficient of 0.89 for displacement measurement. Median displacement where collateral ligament repair was needed and performed was 17.13 mm (interquartile range [IQR] = 10.43-23.88) compared with 4.63 mm (IQR = 2.68-6.58) where collateral ligament repair was not performed and not required (P = .002). In 4 cases, ligament repair was not performed initially but deemed necessary based on clinical outcome and postoperative and intraoperative images. Of these, the median displacement was 15.59 mm (IQR = 10.09-21.20), and 2 of these required revision fixation. DISCUSSION: Where displacement on initial radiographs exceeded 10 mm, lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL) repair was required in all cases (red group). If less than 5 mm, ligament repair was not required in any case (green group). Between 5 and 10 mm, following fracture fixation, the elbow must be screened carefully to assess for any instability and a low threshold set for LUCL repair to prevent posterolateral rotatory instability (amber group). Using these findings, we propose a traffic light model to predict the need for collateral ligament repair in transolecranon fractures and dislocation.
