Foot & ankle international
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Comparative Study
Comparison of supination external rotation type IV ankle fractures in geriatric versus nongeriatric populations.
Geriatric patients' (defined as those older than 65 years old) inherent comorbidities, functional limitations, and bone quality present obstacles to successful clinical outcomes for operatively treated supination external rotation (SER) ankle fractures. We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected series of SER injuries between 2004 and 2010. This is a comparison of the radiographic and clinical outcomes of our geriatric (27 patients) and nongeriatric (81 patients) populations. We hypothesized that geriatric patients would have worse outcomes when compared to nongeriatric patients. ⋯ Geriatric patients exhibited equivalent complication rates, radiographic outcomes, and functional outcomes compared to nongeriatric patients in this series. Anatomic fixation and soft tissue management counter the inherent risks of operative intervention in geriatric populations that report higher rates of comorbidities. This study supports aggressive fracture- and ligament-specific operative intervention in geriatric patients presenting with unstable SER injuries.
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This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical outcome of the treatment of type C pilon fractures by using an external fixator combined with limited open reduction and absorbable internal fixation. ⋯ External fixator combined with limited open reduction and absorbable internal fixation was a reliable treatment for closed and open AO/OTA type C pilon fractures of the distal tibia.
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Comment Letter
Comment on "compression screw fixation of the syndesmosis".
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Most studies on Achilles tendon ruptures involved US military or European populations, which may not translate to the general US population. The current study reviews 406 consecutive Achilles tendon ruptures occurring in the general US population for patterns in a tertiary care subspecialty referral setting. ⋯ In this study, sports participation was the most common mechanism, but not to the same extent seen in the European or US military studies. Basketball was the most commonly involved sport, as compared to soccer in Europe. Age and BMI had a directly proportional correlation with time to diagnosis.