Irreducible fracture-dislocation of the ankle caused by an entrapped medial malleolus at the syndesmosis

Republication of "Ankle Fracture-Dislocations: A Review"

Ankle fractures are common musculoskeletal injuries that may result in tibiotalar joint dislocations. Ankle fracture-dislocations occur via similar mechanisms as ankle fractures, although the persistence or magnitude of the deforming force is sufficient to disrupt any remaining bony or soft-tissue stability. Ankle fracture-dislocations likely represent distinct clinical entities, as the pathology, management, and patient outcomes following these injuries differ from those seen in more common ankle fractures without dislocation. Ankle fracture-dislocations have higher rates of concomitant injury including open fractures, chondral lesions, and intra-articular loose bodies. Long-term outcomes in ankle fracture-dislocations are worse than ankle fractures without dislocation. Higher rates of posttraumatic osteoarthritis and chronic pain have also been reported. In this review, we discuss the current literature regarding the history, management, and outcomes of ankle-fracture dislocations and highlight the need for future study.

Irreducible Ankle Fracture Due to Incarceration of the Long Flexor Tendons Together With the Neurovascular Bundle in the Tibial Fibular Interosseous Space: A Case Report and Short Literature Review

Ankle fracture dislocations with frustrating attempts at closed reduction are a rare traumatic entity. We present a case of an irreducible ankle fracture due to incarceration of all the flexor tendons including the neurovascular bundle in the tibial fibular interosseous space; to date, only one such case has been published in the literature. A computed tomography scan in both bone and soft tissue windows was necessary to clarify the structures that were inhibiting repositioning. The decisive step for surgical treatment was removal of the trapped structures from the tibial fibular interosseous space by a dorsomedial approach. The malleolar joint was then reconstructed anatomically. After 12 weeks, the patient was fully mobile without restrictions in his daily professional activities.

[The irreducible ankle dislocation: beware of the Bosworth injury]

A luxation fracture of the ankle characterized by a dislocation of the fibula posterior to the tibial tubercle is defined as a Bosworth injury. The Bosworth fracture is a frequently overlooked complex injury of the ankle joint. Associated injuries such as a pilon fracture and posterior malleolus fracture have rarely been reported. In the case of a closed irreducible ankle fracture dislocation, Bosworth injuries should be considered as a potential cause. This article reports the course, treatment and clinical outcome 12 months after trauma of a Bosworth fracture with associated impaction of the posteromedial pilon and fracture of the posterior malleolus. To date, there are only few reports of comparable injuries in the German language literature.

Ankle Fracture-Dislocations

Ankle fractures are common musculoskeletal injuries that may result in tibiotalar joint dislocations. Ankle fracture-dislocations occur via similar mechanisms as ankle fractures, although the persistence or magnitude of the deforming force is sufficient to disrupt any remaining bony or soft-tissue stability. Ankle fracture-dislocations likely represent distinct clinical entities, as the pathology, management, and patient outcomes following these injuries differ from those seen in more common ankle fractures without dislocation. Ankle fracture-dislocations have higher rates of concomitant injury including open fractures, chondral lesions, and intra-articular loose bodies. Long-term outcomes in ankle fracture-dislocations are worse than ankle fractures without dislocation. Higher rates of posttraumatic osteoarthritis and chronic pain have also been reported. In this review, we discuss the current literature regarding the history, management, and outcomes of ankle-fracture dislocations and highlight the need for future study.

Irreducible Ankle Fracture from an Interposed Chaput Fragment: A Case Report

CASE

A 23-year-old active-duty military service member sustained an unusual irreducible fracture-dislocation of the ankle joint. Preoperative computed tomography showed an anterolateral tibial (Chaput) fragment entrapped within the distal syndesmosis, preventing adequate reduction. An open reduction of the fragment was performed in the operating room, which allowed near-anatomic reduction and internal fixation of the tibiotalar joint. At the 21-month follow-up visit, the patient remained on active duty in the Navy without limitations.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this rare injury pattern, an interposed Chaput fragment preventing closed reduction of the syndesmosis in a skeletally mature patient, has not previously been described in the literature. An open reduction and internal fixation of the Chaput fragment allowed near-anatomic reduction of the tibiotalar joint.

An uncommon case of irreducible ankle fracture-dislocation: the "Bosworth-like" tibio-fibular fracture

An irreducible ankle-fracture dislocation characterized by the dislocation of the proximal fragment of the fibula posteriorly to the tibial tubercle is defined as "Bosworth injury". In the present report it is described, for the first time in literature, a complex case where the Bosworth injury was associated to a tibial plafond fracture: the proximal fibular fragment was entrapped between the tibial pilon and the fractured posterior tibial tubercle, which acted as a clamp, thus avoiding ankle reduction. Due to the presence of the tibial fracture, it was not possible to observe the typical radiological signs of Bosworth injury and therefore two unsuccessful reductions were attempted before performing a CT scan that revealed the complexity of the case, that required an immediate ORIF procedure to prevent the onset of complications.

Irreducible ankle fracture-dislocation due to tibialis anterior subluxation: a case report

Irreducible ankle fracture-dislocations are rare. Several cases of irreducible ankle fracture-dislocation have been reported in published studies secondary to the tibialis posterior tendon, deltoid ligament, or extensor digitorum longus tendon blocking the reduction. We report a case of irreducible ankle fracture-dislocation resulting from posteromedial subluxation of the tibialis anterior tendon around a medial malleolar fracture fragment. Ultimately, the ankle required open reduction of the incarcerated tendon to reduce the joint and proceed with internal fixation of the associated fracture. The patient's postoperative course was uncomplicated, and the tibialis anterior tendon was functioning at 10 months postoperatively, after which he did not return for follow-up examinations. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the tibialis anterior tendon blocking closed reduction of an ankle fracture-dislocation.

An irreducible ankle fracture dislocation: the Bosworth injury

Irreducible fracture dislocations of the ankle are rare and represent true orthopedic emergencies. We present a case of a fracture dislocation that was irreducible owing to a fixed dislocation of the proximal fibular fragment posterior to the lateral ridge of the tibia. This particular type of injury, known as a Bosworth fracture dislocation, was not appreciated on the initial radiographs taken in the emergency room but was identified at urgent surgical management. The trauma mechanism, radiographs, treatment, and relevant published data are discussed in the present report.

Irreducible tibial pilon fracture caused by incarceration of the fibula in the tibial medullary canal

Fractures can be irreducible for several reasons, including soft tissue or bone fragment interposition. We report an unusual fracture configuration of a comminuted tibial pilon fracture in which the distal fibular shaft fragment was occupying the medullary canal of the proximal tibial shaft fragment and inhibiting reduction and fixation. To the best of our knowledge, this has not been previously reported in a published study.

Irreducible Salter Harris type II distal tibial physeal fracture secondary to interposition of the posterior tibial tendon: a case report

Pediatric distal tibial fractures generally occur without significant long-term sequelae, and patients are commonly able to return to their preinjury activities after proper management. The literature reports excellent outcomes after anatomical reduction of distal tibial and ankle physeal fractures with closed or open treatment. Treatment options include simple immobilization of nondisplaced fractures, and closed or open reduction for restoration of anatomic alignment of displaced fractures. Soft tissue interposition within the fracture can threaten successful closed reduction, and may warrant open management if closed reduction fails to produce a satisfactory result. Despite the documented possibility of soft tissue interposition preventing closed reduction of pediatric ankle fractures, there is a paucity of literature reporting this complication. We report a unique case of an irreducible Salter-Harris type II distal tibial physeal fracture secondary to interposition of the posterior tibial tendon.