Is It an Overlooked Injury? Magnetic Resonance Imaging Examination of Occult Talus Lesions Concomitant to Tibial Shaft Fracture

Publication date: Available online 23 February 2019Source: The Journal of Foot and Ankle SurgeryAuthor(s): İbrahim Alper Yavuz, Ahmet Ozgur Yildirim, Ozdamar Fuad Oken, Erman Ceyhan, Fatih İnci, Ozlem Ozkale Yavuz, Deniz Sozmen CılızAbstractLong-term studies have shown that 10% to 20% of patients continue to experience ankle pain years after tibial fracture, which causes poor functional results and dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to show that there could be a talus injury in patients with a tibial shaft fracture and to reveal occult talus lesions with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Fifty-two patients with a tibial shaft fracture, with closed epiphyses, not extending to the joint and with no problems in the application of MRI examination were included. All patients underwent intramedullary tibial nailing. Patients with a lesion detected on MRI were planned to be examined by MRI again at mean of 12 months later. Ankle function of the patients were evaluated with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Freiburg, and Weber scoring systems at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. At the first MRI, 22 (42.3%) patients with tibial shaft fracture were found to have talus lesions: 7 (13.5%) had osteochondritis dissecans, 12 (23.1%) had edema, and 3 (5.8%) had cysts. A second MRI was planned for patients with edema and osteochondritis dissecans at a mean of 12 months. Finally, at 12 months, MRI examinations revealed osteochondritis dissecans and ed...
Source: The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research