The aim of the present study is firstly to determine the outcome after open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures using the AO/ASIF principles and secondly to determine if the modified version of the scoring system of Phillips et al was appropriate for early and late follow up.
Patients with incomplete follow up, notes and radiographs were excluded. Functional outcome was assessed using a modified version of the scoring system of Phillips et. al. This was sent to patients by post.
2 were open fractures. There were 5 patients with significant associated injuries. 29 patients had significant co-morbid conditions. 29 patients had surgery on the date of admission. The mean interval to surgery was 3 days. Patients were followed up regularly in the Out patients clinic Reduction of fracture was assessed on post operative radiographs using the criteria of Joy et al (1974). 66 patients returned the questionnaire and the functional outcome was determined for this group. 51 patients had an excellent result, 6 patients had a good result, 5 patients had a satisfactory result 4 patients had a poor result. Detailed outcome and complications will be presented in our paper.
Subjective assessment is satisfactory for measuring early and late outcome after Ankle surgery. No statistically significant factors affected outcome in our study.
Injury to the dorsomedial cutaneous nerve in the foot may occur after operations for hallux valgus. Pressure neuropathy before operation is also described but remains largely unexplored. We have investigated the incidence of sensory deficit in the great toe before operating for hallux valgus and examined to what extent any deficit was related to the degree of angulation of the joint. Forty-three patients with a total of 61 great toes with hallux valgus presenting for consideration of surgical correction had their sensation tested in pre-designated zones using a five-filament set of Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. These allowed good inter-observer reliability with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.84. Sensory symptoms were noted by only 21% of the patients, a measurable reduction in sensation by one monofilament grade or more was found in an additional 44%. No relationship was found between the degree of sensory loss and the degree of angulation. Patients with symptomatic hallux valgus may have sensory loss in the toe without being aware of it. Normal subjective sensation does not reliably predict normal sensory function. Given the potentially high rates of nerve damage following operations for hallux valgus, we recommend objective sensory testing as part of routine assessment before surgery.
Injury to the dorsomedial cutaneous nerve has been identified as a potentially frequent occurrence after hallux valgus surgery. The existence of pre-operative pressure neuropathy is also described but remains largely unexplored. This study was performed to investigate the incidence of pre-operative sensory deficit in the hallux valgus toe, and to examine to what extent any deficit was related to the degree of joint angulation. A cohort of 43 patients (61 hallux toes) presenting for consideration of surgical correction had their sensation tested in pre-designated sensory zones using a five-filament set of Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. These allowed good inter-observer reliability with an ICC (intra-class correlation coefficient) of 0.84 overall. Whilst sensory symptoms were self reported in only 21% of the feet, a measurable reduction in sensation by one monofilament grade or more was found in an additional 44% of the feet. No relationship was found between the degree of sensory loss and degree of angulation. Patients with symptomatic hallux valgus may have sensory loss of the toe despite not being aware of the deficit. Normal subjective sensation does not reliably predict normal sensory function. Given the potentially high rates of intra-operative nerve damage in hallux surgery we recommend objective sensory testing as part of routine pre-operative assessment.
We made a prospective arthroscopic study of 106 skeletally mature male sportsmen with an average age of 28.35 years (16.8 to 44) who presented with an acute haemarthrosis of the knee due to sporting activities. We excluded those with patellar dislocations, radiographic bone injuries, extra-articular ligamentous lesions or a previous injury to the same joint. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was intact in 35 patients, partially disrupted in 28 and completely ruptured in 43. In the patients with an ACL lesion, associated injuries included meniscal tears (17 patients), cartilaginous loose bodies (6), and minimal osteochondral fractures of the patella (2), the tibial plateau (3) or the femoral condyle (9). We found no age-related trend in the pattern of ACL injuries. Isolated injuries included one small osteochondral fracture of the patella, and one partial and one total disruption of the posterior cruciate ligament. Three patients had cartilaginous loose bodies, and no injury was detected in five. Acute traumatic haemarthrosis indicates a serious ligament injury until proved otherwise, and arthroscopy is needed to complement careful history and clinical examination. All cases with a tense effusion developing within 12 hours of injury should have an aspiration. If haemarthrosis is confirmed, urgent admission and arthroscopy are indicated.
