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Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review

Received: 10 May 2021    Accepted: 1 June 2021    Published: 15 June 2021
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Abstract

Treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries requires an early and accurate reduction to prevent poor outcomes. Screw fixation technique remains the gold standard for syndesmosis injuries despite the increasing popularity of suture button fixation. We report the cases of three patients with acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries treated by open reduction and internal fixation using a plate and two screws. The objective of this study was to describe a different syndesmosis fixation technique with a two holes one-third tubular plate and two screws, relate the radiologic findings and analyze the functional outcomes. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale. Reduction of the syndesmosis was assessed radiographically by measuring the tibiofibular clear space, tibiofibular overlap, and the medial clear space at the final follow-up. Compared to preoperative values, postoperative values were improved with this method. Our findings suggest this new technique as a safe and reliable option to consider for the treatment of acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries. The main advantage is an optimal positioning of the screws on the lateral fibular cortex in the anteroposterior plan with an ideal space between them.

Published in Journal of Surgery (Volume 9, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.js.20210904.12
Page(s) 153-158
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Ankle Injury, Syndesmosis Disruption, Open Reduction, Internal Fixation

References
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[9] Marc Schnetzke, Sven Y Vetter, Nils Beisemann, Benedict Swartman, Paul A Grützner, Jochen Franke. Management of syndesmotic injuries: what is the evidence? World J Orthop. 2016 Nov 18; 7 (11): 718–725.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Houssemeddine Kouki, Aurélien Traverso, Thibaut Royon, Sami Abou-Khalil. (2021). Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review. Journal of Surgery, 9(4), 153-158. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20210904.12

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    ACS Style

    Houssemeddine Kouki; Aurélien Traverso; Thibaut Royon; Sami Abou-Khalil. Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review. J. Surg. 2021, 9(4), 153-158. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20210904.12

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    AMA Style

    Houssemeddine Kouki, Aurélien Traverso, Thibaut Royon, Sami Abou-Khalil. Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review. J Surg. 2021;9(4):153-158. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20210904.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.js.20210904.12,
      author = {Houssemeddine Kouki and Aurélien Traverso and Thibaut Royon and Sami Abou-Khalil},
      title = {Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review},
      journal = {Journal of Surgery},
      volume = {9},
      number = {4},
      pages = {153-158},
      doi = {10.11648/j.js.20210904.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20210904.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.js.20210904.12},
      abstract = {Treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries requires an early and accurate reduction to prevent poor outcomes. Screw fixation technique remains the gold standard for syndesmosis injuries despite the increasing popularity of suture button fixation. We report the cases of three patients with acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries treated by open reduction and internal fixation using a plate and two screws. The objective of this study was to describe a different syndesmosis fixation technique with a two holes one-third tubular plate and two screws, relate the radiologic findings and analyze the functional outcomes. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale. Reduction of the syndesmosis was assessed radiographically by measuring the tibiofibular clear space, tibiofibular overlap, and the medial clear space at the final follow-up. Compared to preoperative values, postoperative values were improved with this method. Our findings suggest this new technique as a safe and reliable option to consider for the treatment of acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries. The main advantage is an optimal positioning of the screws on the lateral fibular cortex in the anteroposterior plan with an ideal space between them.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Surgical Treatment of Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries Using Open Reduction Internal Fixation by Plate and Screws: A Case Series and Literature Review
    AU  - Houssemeddine Kouki
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.js.20210904.12
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    JO  - Journal of Surgery
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20210904.12
    AB  - Treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries requires an early and accurate reduction to prevent poor outcomes. Screw fixation technique remains the gold standard for syndesmosis injuries despite the increasing popularity of suture button fixation. We report the cases of three patients with acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries treated by open reduction and internal fixation using a plate and two screws. The objective of this study was to describe a different syndesmosis fixation technique with a two holes one-third tubular plate and two screws, relate the radiologic findings and analyze the functional outcomes. Clinical and functional outcomes were assessed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale. Reduction of the syndesmosis was assessed radiographically by measuring the tibiofibular clear space, tibiofibular overlap, and the medial clear space at the final follow-up. Compared to preoperative values, postoperative values were improved with this method. Our findings suggest this new technique as a safe and reliable option to consider for the treatment of acute distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries. The main advantage is an optimal positioning of the screws on the lateral fibular cortex in the anteroposterior plan with an ideal space between them.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Clinic of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Fribourg District Hospital (HFR), Fribourg, Switzerland

  • Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland

  • Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland

  • Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland

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