title: Ankle fractures in elderly patients.
abstract: The incidence of ankle fractures (AFs) in the elderly is rising due to the increase in life expectancy. Rather than directly related to osteoporosis, AFs are a predictor of osteoporotic fractures in other sites. In women AFs are associated with weight and BMI. AFs are difficult to categorize; therapeutic options are non-operative treatment with plaster casts or surgical treatment with Kirschner's wires, plates and screws. The choice of treatment should be based not only on the fracture type but also on the local and general comorbidity of the patient. Considering the new evidence that postmenopausal women with AFs have disrupted microarchitecture and decreased stiffness of the bone compared with women with no fracture history, in our opinion low-trauma AFs should be considered in a similar way to the other classical osteoporotic fractures.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic and Traumatologic Clinic, University of Bologna, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, BO, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiarello
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Persiani
authors.forename: Deianira
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cadossi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tedesco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D064386:Ankle Fractures; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D058866:Osteoporotic Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D016896:Treatment Outcome