A pilon fracture is a severe ankle joint injury caused by high-energy trauma, typically affecting men of working age. Although relatively uncommon (5% to 7% of all tibial fractures), this injury causes among the worst functional and health outcomes of any skeletal injury, with a high risk of serious complications and long-term disability, and with devastating consequences on patients’ quality of life and financial prospects. Robust evidence to guide treatment is currently lacking. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two surgical interventions that are most commonly used to treat pilon fractures. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 334 adult patients diagnosed with a closed type C pilon fracture will be conducted. Internal locking plate fixation will be compared with external frame fixation. The primary outcome and endpoint will be the Disability Rating Index (a patient self-reported assessment of physical disability) at 12 months. This will also be measured at baseline, three, six, and 24 months after randomization. Secondary outcomes include the Olerud and Molander Ankle Score (OMAS), the five-level EuroQol five-dimenison score (EQ-5D-5L), complications (including bone healing), resource use, work impact, and patient treatment preference. The acceptability of the treatments and study design to patients and health care professionals will be explored through qualitative methods.Aims
Methods
In a randomized controlled trial with two-year follow-up, patients treated with suture button (SB) for acute syndesmotic injury had better outcomes than patients treated with syndesmotic screw (SS). The aim of this study was to compare clinical and radiological outcomes for these treatment groups after five years. A total of 97 patients with acute syndesmotic injury were randomized to SS or SB. The five-year follow-up rate was 81 patients (84%). The primary outcome was the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Scale. Secondary outcome measures included Olerud-Molander Ankle (OMA) score, visual analogue scale (VAS), EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), range of movement, complications, reoperations, and radiological results. CT scans of both ankles were obtained after surgery, and after one, two, and five years.Aims
Methods
The aim of this study was to evaluate the functional outcome in patients undergoing implant removal (IR) after fracture fixation below the level of the knee. All adult patients (18 to 75 years) undergoing IR after fracture fixation below the level of the knee between November 2014 and September 2016 were included as part of the WIFI (Wound Infections Following Implant Removal Below the Knee) trial, performed in 17 teaching hospitals and two university hospitals in The Netherlands. In this multicentre prospective cohort, the primary outcome was the difference in functional status before and after IR, measured by the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS), with a minimal clinically important difference of nine points.Aims
Patients and Methods
Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of wound complications
after open reduction and internal fixation of unstable ankle fractures.
A fibular nail avoids large surgical incisions and allows anatomical
reduction of the mortise. We retrospectively reviewed the results of fluoroscopy-guided
reduction and percutaneous fibular nail fixation for unstable Weber
type B or C fractures in 24 adult patients with type 1 or type 2
diabetes. The re-operation rate for wound dehiscence or other indications
such as amputation, mortality and functional outcomes was determined.Aims
Patients and Methods
Injuries to the foot in athletes are often subtle
and can lead to a substantial loss of function if not diagnosed
and treated appropriately. For these injuries in general, even after
a diagnosis is made, treatment options are controversial and become
even more so in high level athletes where limiting the time away
from training and competition is a significant consideration. In this review, we cover some of the common and important sporting
injuries affecting the foot including updates on their management
and outcomes. Cite this article:
In this retrospective cohort study, we analysed
the incidence and functional outcome of a distal tibiofibular synostosis.
Patients with an isolated AO type 44-B or C fracture of the ankle
who underwent surgical treatment between 1995 and 2007 were invited
for clinical and radiological review. The American Orthopaedic Foot
and Ankle Society score, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
score and a visual analogue score for pain were used to assess outcome. A total of 274 patients were available; the mean follow-up was
9.7 years (8 to 18). The extent of any calcification or synostosis
at the level of the distal interosseous membrane or syndesmosis
on the contemporary radiographs was defined as: no or minor calcifications
(group 1), severe calcification (group 2), or complete synostosis
(group 3). A total of 222 (81%) patients were in group 1, 37 (14%) in group
2 and 15 (5%) in group 3. There was no significant difference in
incidence between AO type 44-B and type 44-C fractures (p = 0.89).
Severe calcification or synostosis occurred in 21 patients (19%)
in whom a syndesmotic screw was used and in 31 (19%) in whom a syndesmotic screw
was not used.(p = 0.70). No significant differences were found between
the groups except for a greater reduction in mean dorsiflexion in
group 2 (p = 0.004). This is the largest study on distal tibiofibular synostosis,
and we found that a synostosis is a frequent complication of surgery
for a fracture of the ankle. Although it theoretically impairs the
range of movement of the ankle, it did not affect the outcome. Our findings suggest that synostosis of the distal tibiofibular
syndesmosis in general does not warrant treatment. Cite this article:
Diagnostic and operative codes are routinely collected for every patient admitted to hospital in the English NHS. Data on post-operative complications following foot and ankle surgery have not previously been available in large numbers. Data on symptomatic venous thromboembolism events and mortality within 90 days were extracted for patients undergoing fixation of an ankle fracture, first metatarsal osteotomy, hindfoot fusions and total ankle replacement over a period of 42 months. For ankle fracture surgery (45 949 patients), the rates of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism and mortality were 0.12%, 0.17% and 0.37%, respectively. For first metatarsal osteotomy (33 626 patients), DVT, pulmonary embolism and mortality rates were 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.04%, and for hindfoot fusions (7033 patients) the rates were 0.03%, 0.11% and 0.11%, respectively. The rate of pulmonary embolism in 1633 total ankle replacement patients was 0.06%, and there were no recorded DVTs and no deaths. Statistical analysis could only identify risk factors for venous thromboembolic events of increasing age and multiple comorbidities following fracture surgery. Venous thromboembolism following foot and ankle surgery is extremely rare, but this subset of fracture patients is at a higher risk. However, there is no evidence that thromboprophylaxis reduces this risk, and these national data suggest that prophylaxis is not required in most of these patients.
