title: Current trends in the diagnosis and management of syndesmotic injury.
abstract: Ideal management of the various presentations of syndesmotic injury remains controversial to this day. High quality evidentiary science on this topic is rare, and numerous existing studies continue to contradict one another. The primary reasons for these discrepancies are that previous studies have failed to (1) properly distinguish between isolated (non-fractured) and non-isolated injuries, (2) accurately define stable from unstable injuries, and (3) sufficiently differentiate between acute and chronic injuries. The purpose of this review is to summarize today's body of literature regarding diagnosis and management of syndesmotic injury and discuss current trends and important future directions to optimize care of this very heterogeneous population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Via Christi Health, 929 N. St. Francis, Room 4076, Wichita, KS, 67214, USA. mvopat@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vopat
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Vopat
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard University, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lubberts
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard University, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: DiGiovanni
keywords: Ankle fracture; High ankle sprain; Syndesmosis; Syndesmotic injury