title: Open Dislocation of Ankle without Fracture Treated with an External Fixator.
abstract: Ankle dislocations are orthopedic emergencies that require immediate treatment to avoid neurovascular impairment. They are usually accompanied by one or more comminuted fractures of the ankle mortis. In rare circumstances, such as high-energy trauma, the ankle dislocations may not be accompanied by concomitant malleolar fractures and, thus, are named "pure ankle dislocations". We presented a very rare and interesting case of an open medial dislocation of the ankle without associated fracture in an 18-year-old man with no known predisposing risk factors. The patient was admitted to the emergency department after sustaining a catastrophic trampoline accident resulting in severe inversion of the right ankle. The patient was treated with an external fixator and was mobilized early in the post-surgical course. Despite initial presentation that revealed lack of posterior tibial pulse, the post-surgical course was uneventful, with full functional recovery and joint mobility. The primary goals of treatment are immediate reduction of the joint and relief of neurovascular stress. External fixation is a prompt, fairly easy treatment that one should keep in mind in pure ankle dislocations. Nonetheless, ligamentous restoration and early mobilization were the key elements as seen in our case for full functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Samsun Education and Research Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Emrah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sayit
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Asli Tanrivermis
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Sayit
authors.affiliation: Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Elcin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001863:Bone Screws; D004867:Equipment Design; D016267:External Fixators; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male
keywords: 
  Ankle; 
  Open dislocation; 
  Tibiotalar dislocation; 
  Trauma