Early posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis following ankle fracture-dislocations in a sub-Saharan African setting

Functional outcomes after ankle fracture-dislocation: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Ankle fractures represent a significant portion of orthopedic injuries, with fracture dislocations tending to have worse outcomes. Logsplitter fractures represent a subset of fracture dislocations in which the talus is axially wedged in the tibiofibular joint. We aim to comprehensively investigate and report on the complications and functional outcomes associated with ankle fracture-dislocations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Following PRISMA guidelines, a medical librarian conducted a literature search in Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Studies examining ankle fracture-dislocations and reporting on functional or employment outcomes were included. Excluded were non-English studies, abstracts, conference proceedings, letters, perspective pieces, reviews, editorials, and case reports or series with fewer than five patients. Data on functional outcomes were extracted and reported using descriptive statistics. A comparative analysis of AOFAS scores between Logsplitter and ankle fracture-dislocations was conducted using pooled means and independent t-tests.

RESULTS

A total of 21 studies involving 810 cases of ankle fracture-dislocations were included. The pooled mean AOFAS score across 13 studies was 81.5, indicating "good" outcomes, while Logsplitter injuries had a significantly lower mean score of 75.8 compared to 82.9 for other ankle fracture-dislocations (p = 0.016). Complications included wound infection (7.3%), posttraumatic osteoarthritis (29.2%), nonunion/malunion (12.6%), and malunion. No studies reported on employment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Ankle fracture-dislocations are high-energy injuries that affect a younger population compared to non-dislocated ankle fractures. Their functional outcomes resemble those of pilon fractures more than common ankle fractures. Logsplitter injuries are a subset of fracture dislocations that occur in even younger patients, with worse functional outcomes. This information can guide perioperative discussion and expectations for functional recovery. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the impact of these injuries on return to employment.

Internal fixation vs manual reduction in the treatment of ankle fracture healing and inflammation: A case-control study

Ankle fractures are among the most common bone injuries, which are often accompanied by soft tissue injuries. Proper management of these fractures is crucial to promote healing and minimize complications. This study explores the effects of 2 treatment methods for ankle fractures: open reduction and internal fixation and manual reduction followed by plaster external fixation. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 124 patients with ankle fractures admitted between March 2020 and September 2022. Patients were divided into 2 groups: 62 received internal fixation and 62 received manual reduction with plaster external fixation. The study evaluated various clinical outcomes, including treatment effectiveness, recovery times, the incidence of nonunion, ankle joint function and inflammatory factors, and complication rates. The internal fixation group showed a significantly higher effective treatment rate (96.77%) compared to the non-internal fixation group (85.48%). After treatment, the internal fixation group had significantly lower medial malleolus space and talus tilt angles, indicating better fracture alignment. The internal fixation group also had shorter treatment, postoperative recovery, and functional recovery times. Furthermore, the incidence of nonunion and complications was lower in the internal fixation group. Inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) decreased significantly in the internal fixation group compared to the non-internal fixation group. Internal fixation is more effective than manual reduction and plaster external fixation for treating ankle fractures. It leads to better fracture healing, shorter recovery times, and fewer complications, including nonunion. Manual reduction with external fixation remains a viable option but may be associated with a higher risk of nonunion and delayed healing. Early and effective management of soft tissue injuries is crucial for improving treatment outcomes in ankle fractures.

The fibular intramedullary nail versus plate fixation for ankle fractures in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

The effectiveness and safety of fibular intramedullary nail fixation (FINF) compared to plate fixation (PF) in treating ankle fractures among adults remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of FINF versus PF, aiming to provide orthopedic surgeons with valuable insights when choosing between the two internal fixation methods for patient treatment.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were systematically searched for articles comparing FINF and PF in ankle fractures among adults. Functional outcomes, complications, and bony union were compared between the implants.

RESULTS

A total of seven studies were included in the study, involving 586 patients. The results revealed no statistically significant differences in functional outcomes between two groups at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. The outcomes favoring FINF comprised a lower infection rate (RR = 0.23, 95%CI, 0.11 to 0.47, P < 0.0001). Conversely, the PF group exhibited a superior performance in terms of hardware failure rate (RR = 2.05, 95%CI, 1.16 to 3.60, P = 0.01). A statistically significant difference was observed in the results of hardware failure rate in the subgroup of studies conducted in Europe (RR = 2.74, 95%CI, 1.45 to 5.18, P = 0.002). Comparable findings were also noted in a subgroup of older adults (RR = 4.25, 95%CI, 1.57 to 11.50, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

This systematic review suggests that FINF exhibits comparable effectiveness in the management of ankle fractures among adults, as compared to PF. Consequently, it is imperative to further delineate the surgical indications for both FINF and PF with precision to mitigate the risk of complications. Nevertheless, larger sample sizes and multi-center RCTs are imperative to corroborate this conclusion in the future.

Incidence of post-traumatic osteoarthritis in 44B ankle fractures: Analysis of risk factors

Objective

The purpose of this study was to analyse the clinical and radiographic data of a consecutive series of patients treated surgically for AO/OTA 44B ankle fracture at Ferrara University Hospital, Italy, with a view to identifying risk factors contributing to worse clinical and radiographic outcomes with a minium follow up of 6 years.

Materials and methods

For each patient the following data were recorded: gender, age, Body Mass Index (BMI), follow up (months), previous ankle sprains, type of work, Kellgren-Lawrence (K&L) score, AO/OTA classification for ankle fracture, Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI score), ankle dislocation, syndesmotic transfixation, quality of reduction.

Results

FADI score in patients with AO/OTA 44B1 fracture was 95.5±7.5, in 44B2 it was 90.0±8.4 and in 44B3 it was 84.0±13.0 (p25 it was 88.6±11.4 (p=0.047 95%I.C. 0.01-8.10). In case of fracture-dislocation there was a statistically significant difference in the FADI (94.4±6.0 vs 85.8±11.98)(P=0.002 95% I.C. 0.01-8.9). In the former group, there was a statistically significant difference in the ​the K&L (1.97±0.65 vs 2.63±0.85) (P=0.006 95% I.C 0.01-1.00).Finally, the quality of the reduction was a statistically significant parameter in both the FADI and K&L (P=0.012 95% I.C. 0.90-10.60 and P=0.012 95%I.C. 0.01-1.00 respectively).

Conclusion

The most influential risk factors for worse outcome in AO/OTA 44B ankle fractures were found to be BMI, injury severity, fracture-dislocation and reduction quality.

Dislocations deteriorate postoperative functional outcomes in supination-external rotation ankle fractures

PURPOSE

To assess the relationship between dislocation and functional outcomes in supination-external rotation (SER) ankle fractures.

METHODS

A retrospective case series study was performed on patients with ankle fractures treated surgically at a large trauma center from January 2015 to December 2021. The inclusion criteria were young and middle-aged patients of 18-65 years with SER ankle fractures that can be classified by Lauge-Hansen classification and underwent surgery at our trauma center. Exclusion criteria were serious life-threatening diseases, open fractures, fractures delayed for more than 3 weeks, fracture sites ≥2, etc. Then patients were divided into dislocation and no-dislocation groups. Patient demographics, injury characteristics, surgery-related outcomes, and postoperative functional outcomes were collected and analyzed. The functional outcomes of SER ankle fractures were assessed postoperatively at 1-year face-to-face follow-up using the foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS) and American orthopedic foot and ankle society score and by 2 experienced orthopedic physicians. Relevant data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 by Chi-square or t-test.

RESULTS

During the study period, there were 371 ankle fractures. Among them, 190 (51.2%) were SER patterns with 69 (36.3%) combined with dislocations. Compared with the no-dislocation group, the dislocation group showed no statistically significant differences in gender, age composition, fracture type, preoperative complications with diabetes, smoking history, preoperative waiting time, operation time, and length of hospital stay (all p > 0.05), but a significantly higher Lauge-Hansen injury grade (p < 0.001) and syndesmotic screw fixation rate (p = 0.033). Moreover, the functional recovery was poorer, revealing a significantly lower FAOS in the sport/rec scale (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that among SER IV ankle fracture patients, FAOS was much lower in pain (p = 0.042) and sport/rec scales (p < 0.001) for those with dislocations. American orthopedic foot and ankle society score revealed no significant difference between dislocation and no-dislocation patients.

CONCLUSION

Dislocation in SER ankle fractures suggests more severe injury and negatively affects functional recovery, mainly manifested as more pain and poorer motor function, especially in SER IV ankle cases.

Comparison of temporary external and percutaneous k-wire fixations for treatment of ankle fracture-dislocations

PURPOSE

Ankle fracture-dislocations are among the most severe injuries, and the use of an external fixator as a recommended fixation method has some disadvantages. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and complication rates of external and K-wire fixations in the treatment of ankle fracture dislocations.

METHODS

A total of 67 patients with ankle fracture-dislocations requiring temporary external or percutaneous K-wire fixation were included. The exclusion criteria were pilon fractures, open fractures, and those who required acute open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) score (range 0-10), and complications before and after the definitive surgery were recorded.

RESULTS

A significant difference between the two groups was not observed for age, sex, affected side, fracture type, smoking status, or diabetes. The average AOFAS scores were 83.2 and 83.3, the median VAS scores were 3 and 3, and the complication rates were 32.4% and 6.7% in the external and K-wire fixation groups, respectively (p = 0.010). However, skin necrosis, re-dislocation of the ankle, surgical wound infection, and posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis frequency were not significantly different between the groups, except for pin-sites infection (p = 0.036).

CONCLUSION

Ankle fracture-dislocations using percutaneous k-wire fixation showed a low rate of complications and favorable clinical outcomes. This method could be a good alternative treatment option for ankle fracture-dislocations.

Clinical outcomes of ankle fractures in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Ankle fractures may cause disability and socioeconomic challenges, even when managed in a high-resource setting. The outcomes of ankle fractures in sub-Saharan Africa are not widely reported. We present a systematic review of the patient-reported outcomes and complications of patients treated for ankle fractures in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched, utilising MeSH headings and Boolean search strategies. Ten papers were included. Data included patient demographics, surgical and non-surgical management, patient-reported outcome measures and evidence of complications.

RESULTS

A total of 555 patients with ankle fractures were included, 471 of whom were followed up (range 6 weeks-73 months). A heterogenous mix of low-quality observational studies and two methodologically poor-quality randomised trials demonstrated mixed outcomes. A preference for surgical management was found within the published studies with 87% of closed fractures being treated operatively. A total of five different outcome scoring systems were used. Most studies included in this review were published by well-resourced organisations and as such are not representative of the actual clinical practice taking place.

CONCLUSION

The literature surrounding the clinical outcomes of ankle fractures in sub-Saharan Africa is sparse. There appears to be a preference for surgical fixation in the published literature and considering the limitations in surgical resources across sub-Saharan Africa this may not be representative of real-life care in the region.

A systematic review of ankle fracture-dislocations: Recent update and future prospects

Background

Ankle fracture-dislocations are one of the most severe types of ankle injuries. Compared to the simple ankle fractures, ankle fracture-dislocations are usually more severely traumatized and can cause worse functional outcomes. The purpose of this study was to review the previous literatures to understand the anatomy, mechanisms, treatment, and functional outcomes associated with ankle fracture-dislocations.

Methods

The available literatures from January 1985 to December 2021 in three main medical databases were searched and analyzed. The detailed information was extracted for each article, such as researchers, age, gender, groups, type of study, type of center research, level of evidence, significant findings, study aim, cause of injury, time from injury to surgery, type of fracture, direction of dislocation, follow-up, postoperative complications and functional evaluation scores.

Results

A total of 15 studies (1,089 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Only one study was a prospective randomized trial. The top-ranked cause of injury was high-energy injury (21.3%). Moreover, the most frequent type of fracture in ankle dislocations was supination-external rotation (SER) ankle fracture (43.8%), while the most common directions of dislocation were lateral (50%) and posterior (38.9%).

Conclusions

Collectively, most ankle fracture-dislocations are caused by high-energy injuries and usually have poor functional outcomes. The mechanism of injury can be dissected by the ankle anatomy and Lauge-Hansen's classification. The treatment of ankle fracture-dislocations still requires more detailed and rational solutions due to the urgency of occurrence, the severity of injury, and the postoperative complications.