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The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 79-B, Issue 4 | Pages 698 - 698
1 Jul 1997
DEN OUTER AJ


The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery British Volume
Vol. 78-B, Issue 5 | Pages 722 - 725
1 Sep 1996
van der Schoot DKE Den Outer AJ Bode PJ Obermann WR van Vugt AB

We re-examined clinically and radiologically 88 patients with a fracture of the lower leg at a mean follow-up of 15 years. Forty-three fractures (49%) had healed with malalignment of at least 5°. More arthritis was found in the knee and ankle adjacent to the fracture than in the comparable joints of the uninjured leg. Malaligned fractures showed significantly more degenerative changes.

Eighteen patients (20%) had symptoms in the fractured leg. There was a significant correlation between symptoms in the knee and arthritis but not between symptoms and ankle arthritis or malalignment.

We conclude that fractures of the lower leg should be managed so that the possibility of angular deformity and thereby late arthritis is minimised.