title: Changes in the radiological measurements of the tibiofibular syndesmal area in patients with Weber C ankle fractures who were treated with open reduction, internal fixation, and transyndesmal screw.
abstract: The tibiofibular syndesmosis provides stability to the ankle mortise. The ankle syndesmosis is compromised in all Weber C type injuries. The radiographic method described by Merle DAubigné considers the bony relationships as a measure of syndesmotic widening. We sought to investigate whether the patients with a C type ankle fracture treated with ORIF and placement of a transyndesmal screw have an increment of the tibiofibular space and decrease of the tibiofibular overlap after the transyndesmal screw is removed. Our sample included 52 patients with Weber C ankle fractures treated by ORIF and transyndesmal screw at a level II trauma center. We measured the tibiofibular clear space and tibiofibular overlap in each phase of the treatment. The transyndesmal screw was removed at day 55.56 (± 21.83). We found an increase of the tibiofibular overlap of 0.20 mm (± 2.29, p = 0.532); and 0.21 mm (± 0.97, p = 0.146) in the tibiofibular clear space. The changes of 2.38% in the tibiofibular overlap and 5.29% in the tibiofibular clear space between the postoperative and post-removal periods were not statistically significant. After removal of the syndesmal screw, there is a slight radiographic broadening of the syndesmosis; however, it is small and statistically not significant.
authors.affiliation: Centro Médico ABC. Ciudad de México.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jasqui-Remba
authors.affiliation: Profesor Adjunto. Ortopedia. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.|Centro Médico ABC. Ciudad de México.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torres-Gómez
authors.affiliation: Coordinador clínico de educación e investigación en salud.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Salas-Morales
authors.affiliation: Universidad Anáhuac. México.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández-Martínez
keywords: Ankle; fixation; measurement; screw; surgery; syndesmosis