Mid-term results of ankle fractures with and without syndesmotic rupture.

BACKGROUNDS: This study investigated the effect of short term removal of syndesmotic screws on the ankle function after 6 years, as there still exists controversy on the duration of screw stabilization.

METHODS: Patients with an ankle fracture who received surgery between 1998 and 2004 were reviewed. One group was composed of patients with an ankle fracture needing a syndesmotic repair with screws. The second was composed of operated patients that did not need syndesmotic repair. The primary scoring used was the Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS).

RESULTS: A total of 59 patients were studied with comparable characteristics, with no significant difference on the OMAS after 6 years between the repair group (81.9) and the non-repair group (90.4). On additional clinical scoring groups remained the same. Joint degeneration was seen in both groups (86.7% vs. 55.5%).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ankle fractures using syndesmotic repair and screw removal after 8 weeks and operated patients without syndesmotic injury have comparable results after 6 years.