Manual Stress Ankle Radiography Has Poor Ability to Predict Deep Deltoid Ligament Integrity in a Supination External Rotation Fracture Cohort

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick C. Schottel ◽  
Peter D. Fabricant ◽  
Marschall B. Berkes ◽  
Matthew R. Garner ◽  
Milton T.M. Little ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0030
Author(s):  
Fabian Krause ◽  
Ivan Zderic ◽  
Angela Seidel ◽  
Boyko Gueorguiev ◽  
Marc C. Attinger ◽  
...  

Category: Ankle; Basic Sciences/Biologics; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: In isolated lateral malleolar fractures of the supination-external rotation (SER) type and competent medial stabilizers (type II and III), non-operative treatment has yielded excellent outcome. With complete rupture of the deltoid ligament (SER type IV) fracture instability increases substantially. The rationale for operative treatment of SER type IV fractures is based upon good clinical results and previous biomechanical studies. A significant reduction of the ankle contact area that however is caused by an artificially forced lateralization of the talus in the ankle mortise has been demonstrated. Presumed resultant elevated joint contact stresses are thought to lead to ankle arthritis in the longterm. Methods: In 12 lower leg specimen SER type injuries were simulated by gradual bony and ligamentous destabilization of the ankle from lateral to medial according to the mechanism of injury as described by Lauge and Hansen. High-resolution pressure sensors placed in the ankle joint recorded tibio-talar pressure changes at physiologic weightbearing (700N) in three positions (plantigrade, 10° dorsiflexion and 20° plantarflexion). Results: With increasing instability changes of the ankle kinematics were seen in SER II and III fractures with the same trend also in SER IV lesions. In the plantigrade position, the medial clear space (MCS) increased significantly from an average of 2.5+-0.4mm (no fracture) to 3.9+-1.1mm (SER type IV fracture). However, the corresponding peak pressure increased only slightly from 2.6+- 0.5 mPa to 3.0+-1.4 mPa on average, and the contact area decreased slightly from 810+-42 mm2 to 735+-27mm2 on average representing a non-significant reduction of only 9% of the contact area (p=0.08) after the deep deltoid ligament was completely dissected.The comparison of the results in plantigrade and plantarflexed position revealed substantial differences for MCS, contact area and center of force. Conclusion: Under physiologic load SER type IV isolated lateral malleolar fracture with completely disrupted deep deltoid ligament led to a significant increase of the MCS, but neither to a significant decrease of the of the joint contact area nor significant increase of peak pressure. Clinical Relevance: The findings of this biomechanical study support the recently reported good clinical results of non-operative treatment of SER type II to IV fractures.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUNJI MILLER FUKUYAMA ◽  
ROBINSON ESTEVES SANTOS PIRES ◽  
PEDRO JOSÉ LABRONICI ◽  
JOSÉ OCTÁVIO SOARES HUNGRIA ◽  
RODRIGO LOPES DECUSATI

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the frequency of deltoid ligament injury in bimalleolar supination-external rotation type fractures and whether there is a correlation between the size of the fractured medial malleolus and deltoid ligament injury . Methods: Twenty six consecutive patients underwent magnetic resonance exams after clinical and radiographic diagnosis of bimalleolar supination-external rotation type ankle fractures . Results: Thirteen patients (50%) presented deltoid ligament injury associated to bimalleolar ankle fracture. Partial injury was present in seven (26.9%) patients and total injury in six (23.1%). Regarding medial fragment size, the average was 2.88 cm in the absence of deltoid ligament injury. Partial injuries presented 1.93 cm and total 2.1 cm on average . Conclusion: Deltoid ligament injury was present in 50% of bimalleolar ankle fractures. Smaller medial malleolus fragments, especially concerning the anterior colliculus, presented greater association with partial deltoid ligament injuries. Level of Evidence IV, Cross Sectional Study.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sjoerd A. S. Stufkens ◽  
Michel P. J. van den Bekerom ◽  
Markus Knupp ◽  
Beat Hintermann ◽  
C. Niek van Dijk

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohua Li ◽  
Shanxi Wang ◽  
Zhengdong Zhang ◽  
Hai Yang ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The topic that whether the injured deltoid ligament should be repaired when associated with ankle joint fractures is still discussed. The objective of this study was to compare the clinical effect of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with deltoid ligament repair (DLR) or transarticular external fixation (TEF) in treating supination-external rotation type IV (SER IV) ankle fractures. Methods Between January 2012 and December 2015, 43 patients were diagnosed as SER IV ankle fractures, 20 underwent ORIF and transarticular external fixation (TEF) without DLR (group 1), 23 were treated with ORIF and DLR (group 2). The pre- and post-operative radiographic examination were performed, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, the visual analog scale (VAS), the Medical Outcomes Short Form 36-item questionnaire score (SF-36), and the ankle range of motion (ROM) were used for functional evaluation. Results In both groups, the three scores improved significantly after surgery, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. At 6 weeks after surgery, patients in group 2 had better ankle ROM than group 1 (29.35 ± 2.033 vs. 40.35 ± 3.550, P < 0.001), but there was no difference at 12 months postoperatively. No cases of bone nonunion or post-traumatic arthritic changes were seen during the follow-up. Patients in group 1 required a shorter time to achieve fracture union than patients in group 2. Conclusions ORIF with TIF is an optional strategy to manage SER IV ankle fractures as it achieves comparable functional results to ORIF with DLR. It also allows patients to start relatively earlier weight-bearing and may promote fracture union. Keywords Transarticular external fixation; ORIF; Deltoid ligament repair; Supination-external rotation; Ankle fracture


2020 ◽  
pp. 193864002095018
Author(s):  
Andreas C. Fösel ◽  
Angela Seidel ◽  
Marc C. Attinger ◽  
Ivan Zderic ◽  
Boyko Gueorguiev ◽  
...  

Background Previous biomechanical studies simulating supination–external rotation (SER) IV injuries revealed different alterations in contact area and peak pressure. We investigated joint reaction forces and radiographic parameters in an unrestrained, more physiological setup. Methods Twelve lower leg specimens were destabilized stepwise by osteotomy of the fibula (SER II) and transection of the superficial (SER IVa) and the deep deltoid ligament (SER IVb) according to the Lauge-Hansen classification. Sensors in the ankle joint recorded tibio-talar pressure changes with axial loading at 700 N in neutral position, 10° of dorsiflexion, and 20° of plantarflexion. Radiographs were taken for each step. Results Three of 12 specimen collapsed during SER IVb. In the neutral position, the peak pressure and contact area changed insignificantly from 2.6 ± 0.5 mPa (baseline) to 3.0 ± 1.4 mPa (SER IVb) ( P = .35) and from 810 ± 42 mm2 to 735 ± 27 mm2 ( P = .08), respectively. The corresponding medial clear space (MCS) increased significantly from 2.5 ± 0.4 mm (baseline) to 3.9 ± 1.1 mm (SER IVb) ( P = .028). The position of the ankle joint had a decisive effect on contact area ( P = .00), center of force ( P = .00) and MCS ( P = .01). Conclusion Simulated SER IVb injuries demonstrated radiological, but no biomechanical changes. This should be considered for surgical decision making based on MCS width on weightbearing radiographs. Levels of Evidence: Not applicable. Biomechanical study


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 247301141989086
Author(s):  
Sohail Yousaf ◽  
Alan Saleh ◽  
Aashish Ahluwalia ◽  
Shahnawaz Haleem ◽  
Zara Hayat ◽  
...  

Background: Isolated distal fibular fractures resulting from supination external rotation (SER) injuries without evidence of obvious talar shift on standard radiographs present a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. The status of the deep deltoid ligament, the main stabilizer of the ankle joint, is assessed by an increase in medial clear space (MCS) on radiographs. Therefore, these injuries can be either stable or unstable. In recent years, considerable clinical and research efforts have been made to determine ankle stability following SER fracture. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate and compare the role of different stress radiograph modalities in assessing stability of the ankle with SER fractures with no obvious talar subluxation on standard radiographs. Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, Ovid, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2000 to January 2018 to identify literature relating to radiologic assessment of stability of SER ankle fractures. Results: Our literature search revealed 10 peer-reviewed articles that fulfilled inclusion criteria. This yielded a total of 698 patients. The systematic review found 3 broad categories of radiographic investigations in the assessment of ankle joint stability: external rotation (ER) stress radiographs, gravity stress views (GSV), and weightbearing (WB) radiographs. Proponents of WB radiographs have demonstrated how axial load can normalize ankle joint alignment in cases of proven instability. There was a consistently high grade of evidence for using a medial clear space (MCS) value of more than 4 to 5 mm to indicate an unstable ankle following SER fracture. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of this systematic review support an MCS value of less than 4 to 5 mm as a good indicator of stability, regardless of choice of stress imaging modality. These patients can be allowed early weightbearing with expected good functional outcomes. Recent published literature favors WB stress radiographs as a reliable and safe technique for assessing stability in SER ankle fractures. However, it should be kept in mind that this is based on studies with relatively low grades of evidence. Level of Evidence: Level II, systematic review of variable quality studies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document