Medial malleolus fracture of the ankle combined with rupture of the Achilles tendon

High-Energy Achilles Tendon Rupture With Associated Medial Malleolus Fracture and Traumatic Peroneal Dislocation: A Case Report

Fracture, Achilles tendon rupture, or traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons are often seen in isolation after a trauma or sports-related injury. However, in rare circumstances, a combination of these injuries can occur simultaneously. Multiple previous case reports describe a combination of 2 of these injuries. Missed or delayed diagnosis is common in these combination injuries and can lead to significant patient morbidity and result in long-term consequences. We report a case of a 35-year-old man who sustained an Achilles tendon rupture with an associated medial malleolus fracture and traumatic peroneal dislocation after a snowboarding injury. These injuries were treated surgically, and at 9 months postoperatively, the patient had returned to all activities. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for concomitant injuries with higher-energy trauma to the ankle and should perform a thorough history, physical examination, and plain radiographs at a minimum.Levels of Evidence: LEVEL 5.

A novel classification for medial malleolar fracture based on the 3-D reconstruction CT

Background

Fracture of the medial malleolus is one of the most frequent injuries treated surgically; however, the classification of the fracture has not attracted much attention and a good classification system is still lacking.

Methods

Consecutive cases of medial malleolus fractures were prospectively enrolled. Based on the 3-D reconstruction CT morphology and centered on the posterior colliculus of the medial malleolus, we classified the fractures into 4 types: type 1 with no involvement of the posterior colliculus, type 2 with partial involvement of posterior colliculus, type 3 with the entire involvement of posterior colliculus, and type 4 with the fracture line 4 vertically extended from the intercollicular groove to the comminuted fracture of the posterior malleolus. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the clinical significance of the classification.

Results

There were 273 cases prospectively enrolled. The distribution of the cases was type 1 of 12.1%, type 2 of 41.0%, type 3 of 30.0%, and type 4 of 16.8%. Statistics showed that the new classification had significant associations but did not totally depend on the classical ankle fracture classifications. Results showed that the new classification had implications in the severity of ankle fractures. From type 1 to type 4, the ankle joint was more and more unstable. Furthermore, comminuted medial malleolar fractures could be subdivided, and the new classification could provide useful information for surgical decision-making.

Conclusions

The novel classification was a useful system to describe the 3-D geometry of the fractured medial malleolus.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13018-021-02688-9.

Lateral Malleolar Fracture with Concurrent Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Case Report and Literature Review

Achilles tendon and malleolar fractures are commonly seen in isolation, but only a few cases of combined injuries have been reported. In this case, we present a 53-year-old male who sustained an isolated lateral malleolus fracture with an Achilles tendon rupture. Emergency Medicine physicians should consider the possibility of these injuries in combination.