Predicting Syndesmotic Injury in OTA/AO 44-B2.1 (Danis–Weber B) Fractures

Objective: To establish if preoperative radiographs could predict the rate of syndesmotic injury. Setting: Level 1 trauma center. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Patients/Participants: There were 548 OTA/AO 44-B2.1 fractures that were reviewed, and 287 patients were included in the study. Main Outcome Measurements: Ankle radiographs were used to determine the zone of distal extent of the proximal fracture fragment. Syndesmotic injury was defined as positive intraoperative stress examination that required syndesmotic fixation. Results: There were 191 zone 1 (ending below the plafond) injuries, 57 zone 2 (ending between the physeal scar and the plafond) injuries, and 39 zone 3 (ending above the physeal scar) injuries. Of these, 17% (33 patients) of zone 1, 42% (24) of zone 2, and 74% (29) of zone 3 fractures had syndesmotic injuries. The relative risk of syndesmotic injury of zone 1 compared with zone 2 was 2.4 (P
Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: Original Article Source Type: research