Posterior Tibialis Tendon Rupture in a Closed Bimalleolar-Equivalent Ankle Fracture: Case Report

Surgical Management and Return to Activity of an Athlete with Traumatic Posterior Tibial Tendon Rupture and Associated Injuries: A Case Report

CASE

A 22-year-old athlete sustained a traumatic posterior tibial tendon (PTT) rupture with medial malleolus fracture and anterior tibial plafond chondral lesion during practice. He underwent PTT repair, ankle arthroscopy with microfracture, and medial malleolus open reduction and internal fixation with deltoid ligament repair. At 1 year postoperatively, the patient returned to activity excluding high-level competition.

CONCLUSION

Anterior tibial chondral impaction injury with an avulsion fracture of the medial malleolus and PTT tear is effectively treated with a combined arthroscopic and open approach.

Rupture of the Tibialis Posterior Tendon With Associated Bimalleolar Ankle Fracture

The acute traumatic rupture of the tibialis posterior tendon in association with closed ankle fractures is rare and often under-recognised. If recognised early, outcomes can be excellent. There are 28 known cases in the literature, and we report two further cases associated with bimalleolar ankle fracture dislocation. A 49-year-old presented with valgus deformity at the ankle joint and global tenderness following a work injury as a mechanic. A plain radiograph showed a displaced oblique comminuted fracture of the lateral malleolus with valgus angulation at a syndesmosis, with significant talar shift. The patient underwent open reduction and internal fixation with a seven-hole, one-third tubular plate and screws. A 35-year-old involved in a motorcycle collision with a car presented with swollen left ankle and valgus deformity. Plain radiographs revealed bimalleolar fracture subluxation. Closed reduction was unsuccessful and hence direct medial approach demonstrated a complete rupture of the posterior tendon. The medial malleolus was fixed using lag screws and washers. The tendon was repaired using the modified Kessler technique in both cases. The tibialis posterior plays a significant role in foot and ankle biomechanics due to its broad tendinous insertion. Acute traumatic rupture is rare, as it is protected due to its deep-seated anatomic location within the deep posterior compartment of the leg. Preoperative diagnosis of this injury is challenging and hence this diagnosis is often made intraoperatively. In both cases, there was a retraction of the proximal end beyond incision margins, and this can make tendon rupture difficult to identify intraoperatively as well. Upon identification, assessment of the tendon for degenerative changes was key to deciding upon suitability for primary repair. Despite its rarity, a high index of suspicion should be maintained in fracture dislocation of the ankle joint, especially when the mechanism is known to be pronation-external rotation.

Posterior tibialis tendon rupture concomitant with a closed medial malleolar fracture: A case report and literature review

Traumatic rupture of the posterior tibialis tendon is an extremely infrequent condition, which mostly occurred due to a traumatic mechanism of pronation and external rotation, less commonly in direct trauma on the medial side of the ankle. This lesion is overlooked preoperatively most of the time because of the limitation of physical examination owing to acute pain and swelling secondary to a medial malleolar fracture. Early diagnosis and treatment of this injury are very important to prevent the complications like acquired flatfoot deformity. Few cases have been described in the literature for the posterior tibialis tendon rupture associated with a closed ankle fracture. Here we report an acute rupture of the posterior tibialis tendon associated with a closed medial malleolar fracture after a high-energy trauma in a healthy 33-year-old man. We fixed the medial malleolar fracture with two screws and repaired the tendon with a direct end-to-end suture. We hope that our study can be helpful for other colleagues to consider this lesion in similar circumstances.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Rupture Associated With Anterolateral Distal Tibial and Medial Malleolar Fracture and a Novel Pattern of Tibiofibular Syndesmotic Injury: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A posterior tibial tendon (PTT) rupture associated with ankle fractures is a very rare condition. Ankle pronation and external rotation (PER) movement are the typical traumatic mechanism. This injury is frequently overlooked preoperatively. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important to prevent the serious consequences related to functional PTT insufficiency on biomechanics of the foot. Few cases have been described in the literature that highlight the relationship between PTT rupture and PER type ankle fracture with a medial malleolar fracture. We present a case of a complete PTT rupture in a closed atypical ankle fracture in which a medial malleolar fracture was associated with a very large fragment from the anterolateral distal tibia (Tillaux-Chaput fragment) and a concomitant avulsion fracture from the anteromedial portion of the fibula (Lefort-Wagstaffe fragment), with a novel pattern never described before.

Traumatic Dislocation of Tibialis Posterior Tendon: A Case Report and Literature Review

Traumatic dislocation of the tibialis posterior tendon is one of the significantly rare conditions that we might deal with in the emergency department. Approximately only 50 cases have been reported in the literature, and, usually, this condition is misdiagnosed as an ankle sprain in acute settings. It might be neglected in case of improper clinical examination and imaging techniques. We present a case of a 39-year-old patient diagnosed with traumatic dislocation of the tibialis posterior tendon as a result of twisting injury after falling from a 1-meter jump height while playing basketball; the patient was clinically diagnosed primarily as a case of simple ankle sprain in the emergency department and treated conservatively with cold compression. The patient was seen in the clinic after five days with the same complaint, which was medial ankle pain without any improvement. Proper examination and imaging techniques lead us to the accurate diagnoses. The patient was managed surgically and had an excellent outcome postoperatively with a full range of motion of the ankle joint and full weight-bearing without any complaint. Tibialis posterior dislocation should be one of the possible differential diagnoses while dealing with any ankle injury even with unremarkable X-rays. History and physical examination, if conducted correctly, are the keys to making an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, we recommend a proper history-taking and precise physical examination with a high index of suspicion for any possible diagnoses. Early surgical intervention for such cases is the preferable method of treatment to avoid further complications and promote early functional recovery.

Ankle Fracture Fixation: Medial or Lateral First?

In unstable ankle fractures, the importance of reducing the lateral malleolus first to obtain an anatomic reduction of the talus is well established. Although this is a time-tested and common surgical approach, current surgical practice does not always follow the established dogma. Medial-first fixation may be a worthwhile alternative to lateral-first fixation in select instances. We performed a retrospective, cohort study in an urban level I trauma center to compare medial malleolus-first fixation of unstable ankle fractures with lateral malleolus-first fixation. Patient demographics, injury characteristics, and radiographic metrics including pre-, intra-, and final postoperative talocrural angles, medial clear space, and tibiofibular overlap were assessed. Complications were also reviewed. A total of 280 adult patients with operative bimalleolar ankle fractures from January 2010 to January 2015 met inclusion criteria. There were more open fractures (23.2% vs 9.4%, p = .01) and less isolated injuries in the medial-first group (59.2% vs 71.0%, p = .02). There were less isolated operative procedures (80.3% vs 89.1%, p = .04) and more intramedullary screw placement of the lateral malleolus (11.2% vs 4.3% p = .02) in the medial-first fixation group. There was also a strong trend in identifying more posterior tibial tendon injuries in the medial-first group compared with the lateral-first group (3.5% vs 0%, p = .06). There were no significant differences in fluoroscopy times or radiographic variables in the preoperative, intraoperative, or most recent postoperative images between either group. This approach demonstrates equivalent radiographic outcomes to lateral-first fixation and may be appropriate in select cases.