Misdiagnosis of OTA type B (Weber B) ankle fractures leading to nonunion

Management of non-unions of the malleolar fractures- Current Evidence

Although malleolar non-union is uncommon, it is associated with significant morbidity. Managing this problem requires understanding ankle fracture biomechanics and bone healing. We present in this article the pertinent points to be considered in evaluating and managing patients with malleolar non-union. Our discussion will focus on the important risk factors contributing to this problem, and the need to carefully consider the biomechanical stability and the biological environment to ensure successful bony unions.

Intramedullary Nail Fixation for the Treatment of Symptomatic Fibular Nonunion: A Case Series

Ankle fractures are a relatively common injury in the lower extremity. They can be treated with conservative management if they are nondisplaced and only involve the fibula. Nonunions at the fracture site, however, are a potential complicating factor during treatment. There is growing literature supporting the use of intramedullary fixation for fracture care. Not only does it have the advantages of using smaller incisions to preserve periosteum while providing improved biomechanical outcomes, but intramedullary reaming can help stimulate cells to promote bone healing. Few articles discuss the use and success of intramedullary reaming in revision surgery of the distal fibula. We present 3 cases of computed tomography-confirmed fibular nonunion following conservative fracture care, which underwent revision surgery with fibular nail fixation technique. These cases illustrate clinical and image findings as well as highlight the surgical technique used for each patient. At follow-up, all patients were asymptomatic and radiographs confirmed healing of the previous nonunion site. These cases are examples of successful revision for fibular fracture nonunion using intramedullary nail fixation.Level of Evidence: Level IV: Case series.

Deltoid Rupture in Ankle Fractures: To Repair or Not to Repair?

The most common injury mechanism for ankle fractures with concomitant deltoid ligament injury is a supination external rotation type 4 trauma. In the acute setting, malalignment, ecchymosis, and profound edema of the affected ankle can be found. Clinical examination is a poor indicator for deltoid ligament injury. There is a lack of high-quality studies with suturing the deltoid as the primary question. The authors found 4 comparative studies that found it unnecessary to explore and to reconstruct the deltoid ligament and 4 comparative studies that find it unnecessary to explore and to reconstruct the deltoid ligament.

Tension Band Wiring Is As Effective As A Compression Screw In A Neglected, Medial Maleolus Non-Union: A Case-Based Discussion & Literature Review

Introduction:

Isolated, neglected medial malleolus nonunion cases are a rare entity in orthopedic literature. All studies (except one) have described the use of compression screws (with or without plates) for medial malleolar nonunion management. In acute fractures, tension band wiring (TBW) has shown excellent results both in biomechanical and in clinical studies. On the contrary, it has seldom been used in nonunion or in neglected cases.

Case Report:

We describe a 6-month-old neglected medial malleolus gap nonunion case who presented with progressive pain and limp. TBW with a monoblock, inlay, tricortical, and iliac crest bone graft for the defect was performed. The fracture united within 12 weeks and patient went back to his normal work routine; on the latest follow-up at 3 years, the patient was asymptomatic with no clinicoradiologic signs of secondary osteoarthritis of the ankle joint.

Conclusion:

TBW may be better than screw fixation in the management of medial malleolus nonunion as it is technically straightforward and cost-effective, can provide equal or more compression than a screw; it does not damage the sandwiched inlay bone graft, and the amount of compression is surgeon-controlled. It is also more suitable for fractures with small distal fragments and/or osteoporosis.

Treatment of Nonunions After Malleolar Fractures

Ankle fracture nonunion is a rare occurrence following closed or operative intervention. When it does occur, patients can experience debilitating symptoms that limit daily function. Malleolar nonunion can be caused by patient factors, such as smoking, malnutrition, or vascular insufficiency. Surgeon factors, such as insufficient or inappropriate operative fixation, also play a role. Several adjuncts, such as bone grafting, bone morphogenic protein, and bone stimulation, are useful in treating nonunions. Through a multimodal approach, malleolar nonunions are reliably treated with operative fixation leading to good patient outcomes with minimal complications.

Operative treatment of nonunion following distal fibula and medial malleolar ankle fractures

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following operative treatment of nonunited rotational distal fibula and medial malleolar ankle fractures.

METHODS

Seventeen patients were identified as having a nonunion of a rotational ankle fracture. All patients were evaluated clinically, radiographically, and functionally with the Short Musculoskeletal Functional Assessment (SMFA) questionnaire. They were divided into lateral and medial malleolus groups and compared with 44 patients following a nonoperative (SE2/3) ankle fracture and 25 patients who underwent operative fixation of their SE4 ankle fracture for functional comparison.

RESULTS

Two of the 17 patients were excluded. The patients in the medial malleolar group were notably older than those in the other groups. Nonunions included 12 distal fibulas and 3 medial malleoli. All patients were treated with open reduction with plate and screw fixation or screw fixation alone. Adjunctive grafting was performed in all but 2 cases. The average time to healing was 5.2 months post surgery. At latest follow-up, mean 33.9 months, all nonunions had resolved. Standardized SMFA scores differed notably among the groups in the Bothersome, Emotional, and Mobility categories. There was no difference between lateral malleolar nonunion patients and surgically treated SE4 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Reports of nonunions of fractures of lateral and medial malleoli have been rarely reported. Operative treatment of these nonunions in this study led to reliable bony healing. Patients who underwent surgery for these nonunions ultimately had similar outcomes and range of motion compared with patients who underwent operative treatment for acute ankle fractures.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, retrospective comparative series.

Factors affecting healing of ankle fractures

Ankle fractures have been widely described in orthopedic and podiatric studies. These injuries have been associated with significant patient morbidity, infection, malunion, nonunion, and arthritis. Avoiding complications and optimizing outcomes demands an awareness of the factors affecting the healing of ankle fractures. The prognosis of surgical treatment of these injuries has varied according to patient factors or injury severity, or a combination. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and diabetes are some of the factors linked to the prognosis of ankle fractures. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 58 patients treated for an ankle fracture at a single center. The objective of the present study was to comprehensively evaluate the factors affecting the clinical outcome of surgically treated ankle fractures.