title: Fractures of the posterior tibial margin: their role in the prognosis of malleolar fractures.
abstract: One hundred forty-two patients with malleolar fractures were followed up for an average of 5.7 years postoperatively. In 80 cases (56.4%) we found no lesion of the distal articular surface of the tibia; 62 patients (43.6%) had a fracture of the posterior tibial margin. Both groups were closely matched with regard to fractures of the lateral and medial malleolus. The long-term results were significantly poorer when a fracture of the posterior tibial margin was additionally present, even in cases with a small marginal fragment of the lip of the tibia. Further, we found a clear relationship between the articular involvement and the incidence of post-traumatic osteoarthrosis in cases with no additional osteosynthesis of the fragment. In cases of larger fragments, the long-term results after anatomic reduction and additional osteosynthesis were on the whole far better than in cases treated conservatively.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Clinic of Trauma Surgery, University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Jaskulka
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ittner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schedl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016512:Ankle Injuries; D005260:Female; D005360:Fibula / Q000293:injuries*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000628:therapy*; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*