title: Surgical treatment of ankle fractures by pneumatic stapling: clinical experience and review of the literature.
abstract: Between June 1987 and December 2002, 237 cases of malleolar fractures were treated at Erasme Hospital using pneumatic stapling, alone or combined with another type of fixation. This retrospective study addresses 176 well-documented cases. The mean follow-up period was 36 months. The results indicate that pneumatic stapling is an effective technique with a very low rate of failure. Comminuted fractures are not a contraindication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Cliniques Universitaires de Bruxelles, Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium. mgris@ulb.ac.be
authors.forename: Mireille
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gris
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Van Nieuwenhove
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buggenhout
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Burny
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017792:Surgical Stapling / Q000379:methods*