Keywords
Traumatology
Fractures
Malleolus
Spiral Fracture
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: Posterior malleolus fractures (PMF), as well as other ankle joint injuries, are known to occur concomitantly with distal tibia diaphyseal fractures (DTDF), especially when there is a spiral or oblique pattern. If neglected, such fractures can lead to iatrogenic displacement during intramedullary nailing as well as unsatisfactory results even when complete union of the tibial shaft has been achieved. Furthermore, it is accepted that posterior and medial malleolar fractures require fixation in most cases, thus avoiding loss of postoperative reduction.
Aim: To evaluate the epidemiological profile of DTDF patients with spiral line and PMF treated in our Hospital.
Method: Patients treated at the Orthopedics and Traumatology Service of the Hospital Universitário São Francisco na Providência de Deus – HUSF, located in Bragança Paulista – SP, Brazil, from January to December 2022 were included in the study. Age at trauma, presence of any comorbidities, trauma mechanism, treatment, occurrence of effective consolidation after treatment, and clinical evolution were observed.
Results: In our study, the ages of the 5 patients ranged from 26 to 75 years, and the two patients who remained followed up in our Service showed consolidation, one of which was only partial due to loss of follow-up. Neither of the two patients monitored presented post-surgical complications, and both began to walk without assistance and without complaints after fixation.
Conclusion: We believe that many PMF were not included in our sample due to lack of use of the Computed Tomography (CT), available on our Hospital. Therefore, we highlight the importance of CT for the diagnosis of these cases, which will probably increase the accuracy of the diagnosis, thus allowing adequate care to be provided to these patients.
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