Abstract
Pediatric distal tibial fractures generally occur without significant long-term sequelae,
and patients are commonly able to return to their preinjury activities after proper
management. The literature reports excellent outcomes after anatomical reduction of
distal tibial and ankle physeal fractures with closed or open treatment. Treatment
options include simple immobilization of nondisplaced fractures, and closed or open
reduction for restoration of anatomic alignment of displaced fractures. Soft tissue
interposition within the fracture can threaten successful closed reduction, and may
warrant open management if closed reduction fails to produce a satisfactory result.
Despite the documented possibility of soft tissue interposition preventing closed
reduction of pediatric ankle fractures, there is a paucity of literature reporting
this complication. We report a unique case of an irreducible Salter-Harris type II
distal tibial physeal fracture secondary to interposition of the posterior tibial
tendon.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
