title: Management of distal tibio-fibular syndesmotic injuries: a snapshot of current practice.
abstract: Management of syndesmotic injuries of the ankle remains controversial. A postal questionnaire was administered to 310 Orthopaedic consultants in the United Kingdom to explore these issues. One hundred and ninety seven (63.55%) replies were received. A large number of surgeons use intra-operative hook test as an aid to assess syndesmotic stability (68.8%). A clear majority favoured the use of a syndesmotic screw as the preferred method of fixation (97.4%). The opinion on technique was divided over issues including number of cortices fixed, position and type of screw used. Most surgeons (88.4%) do not compress the syndesmosis while inserting the screw. Very few surgeons (8.5%) allow full weight bearing immediately after surgery. The survey establishes an overview of current practice of management of syndesmotic ankle injuries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. puneetmonga05@gmail.com
authors.forename: Puneet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monga
authors.forename: Aravind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Panikker
mesh_terms: D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D005360:Fibula / Q000293:injuries*; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013977:Tibia / Q000293:injuries*