Abstract
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of
surgically treated isolated medial malleolar fractures and compare the clinical and
radiologic results of the fixation methods of headless cannulated fully threaded compression
screws and cancellous lag screws and tension band wiring. We included 32 patients
who attended the final follow-up examination. Group 1 consisted of 11 patients (34.4%)
treated with headless cannulated fully threaded compression screws. Group 2 consisted
of 10 patients (31.2%) treated with cancellous lag screws. Group 3 consisted of 11
patients (34.4%) treated with Kirschner wires and intraosseous tension wiring. Standard
ankle radiographs, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot
scale, and visual analog scale for pain were assessed. No statistically significant
differences were found among the groups in regard to age, gender, preoperative fracture
type, follow-up time, radiologic bone union time, and baseline AOFAS scale scores.
The interval to fracture healing was 2.2 ± 0.42 months in group 1, 2.5 ± 0.71 months
in group 2, and 2.45 ± 0.52 months in group 3. The AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scale score
was 96.73 ± 5.55 in group 1, 93.1 ± 5.43 in group 2, and 93.73 ± 5.52 in group 3.
Hardware removal was not required in any patient in group 1 but was required in 2
patients (20%) in group 2 and 3 patients (27.3%) in group 3. The visual analog scale
score for pain on palpation at the medial malleolus was significantly lower statistically
in the headless compression screw group (group 1; p = .003).
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 15, 2018
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. All rights reserved.
