The best method of stabilisation of the ankle syndesmosis remains a topic of debate; a relatively recent development is the ankle tightrope – a tensionable fibrewire suture device. Despite over 30,000 successful surgeries reported, evidence supporting its use when compared with screw fixation remains extremely limited. We retrospectively compared two consecutive groups of patients whose syndesmotic injuries were stabilised either with a tightrope or screws. The aim of our study was to compare complications arising after insertion of these devices.

All patients undergoing tightrope stabilisation of the syndesmosis between January 2006 and February 2009 were included as the treatment group. The control group was made up of a similar number of consecutive patients who underwent screw stabilisation between November 2010 and January 2011. Data was obtained through theatre records, case notes and from the local PACS X-ray system. Eighteen eligible cases were identified in the tightrope group compared with sixteen eligible cases treated with screws. Both groups had similar baseline demographics with respect to distribution of age and gender.

Twenty two percent (n = 4) of tightropes were removed secondary to wound breakdown or knot prominence. Other complications included persistent syndesmotic widening (n = 2, 11%), knot prominence without removal (n = 1, 5.5%) and synostosis (n = 1, 5.5%). In comparison, only 1 patient (6.3%) experienced a complication (pain and decreased RoM) in the control group. A total of 14 screws were removed. Thirteen screws were removed uneventfully. One patient was discharged to another hospital for a planned removal of screw, but was lost to follow-up. The remaining two patients elected not to have their screws removed.

Stabilisation of the ankle syndesmosis remains a topic of debate regarding the best method of fixation; the most recent development is the ankle tightrope - a tensionable fibrewire suture. Despite over thirty thousand successful surgeries(1) reported, evidence supporting its use remains extremely limited. The aim of our study was to identify complications arising after insertion of this device for syndesmotic instability.

All patients undergoing tightrope stabilisation of the ankle syndesmosis in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary between January 2006 and February 2009 inclusive were incorporated in our study. Patient identifier data was collated at the time of operation by a research nurse with case records collected and analysed by the authors at the end of the study period. Nineteen cases were identified with one subsequently excluded due to death. Of the remaining patients thirteen were male and five female. Age ranged from sixteen to fifty-eight years. Five patients required tightrope fixation alone, the remainder necessitating bony fixation according to AO recommendations. Time in cast immobilisation ranged from five to eight weeks, time to full weight bearing six to ten weeks and time to discharge eight weeks to fifteen months.

In this series, 22% of tightropes were removed secondary to wound breakdown or knot prominence. Other complications included syndesmotic widening(11%), knot prominence without removal(5.5%) and synostosis(5.5%).

Incontrast to previously published literature (2,3,4,5,6) this, the second largest series to date, demonstrates a high complication rate(44%) - perhaps the tightrope is not as advantageous as initially thought.