Summary: | 【Abstract】Objective: To introduce the postero-lateral surgical approach to the posterior malleolar fracture
and report its clinical outcomes in 32 cases.
Methods: This study consisted of 32 cases, 22 males
and 10 females with the mean age of 48 years (range, 21-63
years), suffering from posterior malleolar fracture. All cases
were treated with the posterolateral surgical approach to
the ankle. The average follow-up period was 28 months
(range, 24-35 months). The clinical outcomes of these cases
were evaluated on the basis of the Olerud-Molander Ankle
(OMA) score and plain radiographs.
Results: All cases showed radiological evidence of
bony union at follow-up. The average OMA score was 82
points; 21 cases had excellent scores (90-100 points), 9 good
(61-90 points), and 2 fair (31-60 points). The excellent-to-good rate was 93.8%. Although most cases did not show
any wound dehiscence or necrosis, one patient had a su-perficial infection which healed after using antibiotic dress-ing and one had sural cutaneous nerve injury that under-went spontaneous remission without any treatment after
three months. In addition, one presented with mild symp-toms of peroneal tendonitis that disappeared after plate
removal.
Conclusion: The posterolateral approach offers an
effective technique for fracture reduction and fixation of
large posterior malleolar fragments.
Key words: Ankle injuries; Dislocations; Fracture
fixation, internal
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