Deltoid Ligament Injuries Associated With Ankle Fractures: Arguments For and Against Direct Repair

Kirschner Wire Internal Fixation of the Medial Tibiotalar Joint for Indirect Repair of Deltoid Ligament Injury: A Retrospective Comparative Study

OBJECTIVE

Ankle joint fractures are often accompanied by medial deltoid ligament rupture. There is controversy over whether or how to treat deltoid ligament rupture. This study was aimed to explore the feasibility of repairing the medial deltoid ligament using Kirschner wire internal fixation of the medial tibiotalar joint combined with external fixation.

METHODS

Forty-six patients with ankle fractures involving deltoid ligament rupture, treated between October 2012 and February 2021, were retrospectively evaluated. Twenty-five patients were treated with a Kirschner wire to fix the tibiotalar joint and indirectly repair the deltoid ligament as the repaired group. Twenty-one patients underwent reduction and fixation of internal and external malleolus fractures, and the deltoid ligament was not repaired in the unrepaired group. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, visual analog scale (VAS), Medical Outcomes Short Form 36-item questionnaire score (SF-36), and Medial clear space perpendicular (preoperative, postoperative, final follow-up) were used for functional evaluations and reduction assessments. Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the differences between the groups.

RESULTS

The follow-up time was 13-112 months with a mean of 59.32 months for the repaired group and 11-94 months with a mean of 53.43 months for the unrepaired group. There was no significant difference in the operative time or intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (p > 0.05). At the last follow-up, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot and SF-36 scores of the repaired group were significantly higher than those of the non-repaired group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the VAS pain score was significantly lower and the Medial clear space perpendicular was significantly narrower in the repaired group than that in the unrepaired group.

CONCLUSION

Tibiotalar joint fixation using Kirschner wires is a simple and effective technique that can indirectly reduce and repair the deltoid ligament and stabilize the ankle.

Current concepts in ankle fractures

Ankle fractures are among the most common orthopaedic injuries. Operative management is performed in unstable ankle fracture patterns to restore the stability and native kinematics of the ankle mortise and minimize the risk of post-traumatic degenerative changes. In this study, we review current concepts in ankle fracture management, including posterior malleolus fixation, syndesmosis fixation, deltoid ligament repair, fibular nailing, and early weightbearing, from both a biomechanical and clinical perspective.

Acute Deltoid Injury in Ankle Fractures: A Biomechanical Analysis of Different Repair Constructs

BACKGROUND

The importance of the deltoid ligament in the congruency and coupling of the tibiotalar joint is well known. The current trend is to repair it in cases of acute injuries in the context of ankle fractures; however, there is limited information on how it should be reconstructed. The objective of this study was to compare different deltoid ligament repair types in an ankle fracture cadaveric model.

METHODS

Sixteen cadaveric foot-ankle-distal tibia specimens were used. All samples were prepared as a supination external rotation ankle fracture model. Axial load and cyclic axial rotations were applied on every specimen using a specifically designed frame. This test was performed without deltoid injury, with deltoid injury, and after repair. The reconstruction was performed in 4 different ways (anterior, posterior, middle, and combined). Medial clear space (MCS) was measured for each condition on simulated weightbearing (WB) and gravity stress (GS) radiographs. Reflective markers were used in tibia and talus, registering the kinematics through a motion analysis system to record the tibiotalar uncoupling.

RESULTS

After deltoid damage, in all cases the MCS increased significantly on GS radiographs, but there was no increase in the MCS on WB radiographs. After repair, in all cases, the MCS was normalized. Kinematically, after deltoid damage, the tibiotalar uncoupling increased significantly. All isolated repairs achieved a similar tibiotalar uncoupling value as its baseline condition. The combined repair resulted in a significant decrease in tibiotalar uncoupling.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that deltoid repair recovers the tibiotalar coupling mechanism in an ankle fracture model. Isolated deltoid repairs recovered baseline MCS and tibiotalar uncoupling values. Combined repairs may lead to overconstraint, which could lead to postoperative stiffness. Clinical studies are needed to prove these results and show clinically improved outcomes.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This study helps in finding the optimum deltoid repair to use in an acute trauma setting.

Arthroscopic Deltoid Ligament Reconstruction in Rotational Ankle Instability

Chronic lateral ankle instability is a common orthopaedic problem. The continuous stress applied by the lateral instability may affect the superficial deltoid ligament. The combination of lateral ankle instability and injury to the most anterior fascicles of the deltoid ligament contributes to rotational ankle instability. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe the details of arthroscopic deltoid ligament reconstruction in rotational ankle instability. This minimally invasive approach allows other associated lesions to be detected and managed arthroscopically.

Multidirectional Chronic Ankle Instability: What Is It?

Not all ankle sprains are the same and not all ankles behave the same way after an injury. Although we do not know the mechanisms behind an injury producing an unstable joint, we do know ankle sprains are highly underestimated. While some of the presumed lateral ligament lesions might eventually heal and produce minor symptoms, a substantial number of patients will not have the same outcome. The presence of associated injuries, such as additional medial chronic ankle instability, chronic syndesmotic instability, has been long discussed as a possible reason behind this. To explain multidirectional chronic ankle instability, this article aims to present the literature surrounding the condition and its importance nowadays.

Arthroscopically Assisted Reduction and Fixation of Deltoid Ligament Avulsion Fracture From Medial Malleolus

Ankle fractures are one of the most common orthopaedic injuries. The surgical principle is to restore anatomy and stability of the ankle mortise. Repositioning of the talus under the tibia with normalization of the medial clear space is mandatory for a good outcome. Deltoid ligament injuries can present as an avulsion fracture of the medial malleolus. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe the details of arthroscopically assisted reduction and fixation of deltoid ligament avulsion fracture from medial malleolus. This can restore the medial stability of the ankle.

Deltoid ligament repair versus trans-syndesmotic fixation for bimalleolar equivalent ankle fractures

INTRODUCTION

The role of deltoid ligament repair is controversial in the treatment of bimalleolar equivalent ankle injuries. Our purpose was to compare midterm functional outcomes and reoperation rates of unstable distal fibula fractures treated with open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of the fibula and either deltoid ligament repair, trans-syndesmotic fixation, or combined fixation.

METHODS

Skeletally mature subjects were retrospectively identified after fixation of isolated unstable distal fibula fractures treated at a single academic level 1 hospital from January 2005 to May 2019. The AAOS Foot and Ankle Module outcomes questionnaire (AAOS-FAM) was obtained at a mean time from surgery of 4.6 +/- 3.1 years. Subjects underwent one of three methods of fixation including distal fibula ORIF and one of the following: trans-syndesmotic fixation (N = 66), deltoid ligament repair (N = 16), or combined trans-syndesmotic fixation and deltoid ligament repair (N = 26). Outcomes scores and Charlson Comorbidity Index scores were compared between groups by Kruskal-Wallis testing for non-normally distributed data. Rates of reoperation were compared by Fisher's exact test. Statistical significance was set to P < 0.05 for all comparisons.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in AAOS-FAM scores between the three groups (P = 0.18). No subjects in the deltoid ligament repair group underwent reoperation compared to 17 (26%) in the trans-syndesmotic fixation group and six (23%) in the combined fixation group. The most common reason for reoperation was removal of hardware, which was performed in 12 (18%) subjects in the trans-syndesmotic fixation group and three (12%) subjects in the combined fixation group.

CONCLUSIONS

Direct deltoid ligament repair yields similar functional scores and fewer reoperations compared to trans-syndesmotic fixation at midterm follow up. Deltoid ligament repair may be a favorable treatment strategy when considering trans-syndesmotic fixation in the surgical treatment of unstable distal fibula fractures.