Short-Term Outcomes and Influencing Factors After Ankle Fracture Surgery

The present study investigated the factors influencing the early clinical outcomes after ankle fracture surgery. We included 88 patients, who had undergone implant removal surgery at 1 year after ankle fracture surgery, with ankle computed tomographic (CT) scans obtained before ankle fracture surgery and at implant removal available. We collected demographic information, including age, sex, the presence of diabetes mellitus, level of trauma energy, and fracture classification from the medical records. We also recorded the fracture height using the radiographs and CT images. The medial joint space and articular incongruity were assessed on the follow-up radiographs and CT scans. Bone attenuation was measured by placing a circular region of interest around the ankle joint on the preoperative CT image. The postimplant removal outcomes were assessed using 2 functional questionnaires, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale and Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS). Significant factors related to the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scale scores and FAOS were identified through univariate analysis using age, sex, radiographic measurements, and CT findings as explanatory variables, followed by multiple regression analysis. On multiple regression analysis, the total FAOS was independently related to the AO classification (p?=?.003) and Lauge-Hansen classification (p?=?.003). The total AOFAS ankle-hindfoot scale score was related to articular incongruity (p?=?.044). The early clinical outcomes after ankle fracture surgery were affected by involvement of the ankle joint fracture rather than the lateral malleolus fracture height. Female sex and the presence of postoperative articular incongruity correlated with inferior early clinical outcomes.     

Arthroscopic Assessment of Intra-Articular Lesion after Surgery for Rotational Ankle Fracture

Background

The purpose of this study was to report findings of exploratory arthroscopic assessment performed in conjunction with removal of internal fixation device placed in the initial surgery for rotational ankle fracture.

Methods

A total of 53 patients (33 male, 20 female) who underwent surgery for rotational ankle fracture between November 2002 and February 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients gave consent to the exploratory arthroscopic surgery for the removal of internal fixation devices placed in the initial surgery. Lauge-Hansen classification system of ankle fractures was assessed for all patients. Intra-articular lesions (osteochondral lesion, loose body, and fibrosis) were evaluated via ankle arthroscopy. Comparative analysis was then performed between radiological classification of ankle fracture/patient''s symptoms and arthroscopic findings.

Results

Lauge-Hansen classification system of ankle fractures included supination-external rotation type (n = 35), pronation-external rotation type (n = 9), and pronation-abduction type (n = 9). A total of 33 patients exhibited symptoms of pain or discomfort while walking whereas 20 exhibited no symptoms. Arthroscopic findings included abnormal findings around the syndesmosis area (n = 35), intra-articular fibrosis (n = 51), osteochondral lesions of the talus (n = 33), loose bodies (n = 6), synovitis (n = 13), and anterior bony impingement syndrome (n = 3). Intra-articular fibrosis was seen in 31 of symptomatic patients (93.9%). Pain or discomfort with activity caused by soft tissue impingement with meniscus-like intra-articular fibrosis were found in 19 patients. There was statistical significance (p = 0.02) between symptoms (pain and discomfort) and the findings of meniscus-like fibrosis compared to the group without any symptom.

Conclusions

Arthroscopic examination combined with treatment of intra-articular fibrosis arising from ankle fracture surgery may help improve surgical outcomes.     

Analgesic Effects of Gabapentin after Spinal Surgery

Background: A combination of opioid and nonopioid analgesic drugs may improve the quality of postoperative analgesia as well as reduce opioid requirements and their associated side effects. Studies have shown synergism between gabapentin and morphine in animal and human experiments and in the treatment of incisional pain. Therefore, the authors investigated, in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study, the effects of gabapentin on acute postoperative pain and morphine consumption in patients undergoing spinal surgery.

Methods: After standard premedication, 25 patients in the control group received oral placebo, and 25 patients in the gabapentin group received 1,200 mg of gabapentin, 1 h before surgery in a randomized fashion. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and cisatracurium and was maintained with sevoflurane and remifentanil. The total intraoperative remifentanil consumption by each patient was noted. All patients postoperatively received patient-controlled analgesia with morphine (1 mg/ml) with an incremental dose of 2 mg, a lockout interval of 10 min, and a 4-h limit of 40 mg. The incremental dose was increased to 3 mg, and the 4-h limit to 50 mg, if analgesia was inadequate after 1 h. Patients were questioned for the first 1 h in the PACU and were later evaluated in the ward at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h. Pain scores, heart rate, oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry, mean blood pressure, respiratory rate, sedation, morphine use, and total dose of morphine were recorded.

Results: Overall, pain scores at 1, 2, and 4 h were significantly lower in the gabapentin group when compared with the placebo group. Total morphine consumption in the gabapentin group was 16.3 +/- 8.9 mg (mean +/- SD) versus 42.8 +/- 10.9 mg in the placebo patients. The incidence of vomiting and urinary retention was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the placebo group, but there was no difference in incidence of other adverse effects between the groups.     

肌肉和静脉注射痛力克术后镇痛效果的观察

痛力克是作用于外周的非麻醉性、非甾体类抗炎剂，通过抑制外周或中枢的前列腺素合成起镇痛作用。作者对６０例（两组各３０例）ＡＳＡⅠ～Ⅱ级择期手术患者在术后回病房切口微痛时，肌肉和静脉单次注射等效剂量痛力克３０ｍｇ，观察镇痛总有效率均为１００％，显效率分别为６６．７％和７０％，起效时间为１８±４．５和１５±３．４ｍｉｎ，完全镇痛时间为９０５±６２０．０３和５６３±４３９．５９ｍｉｎ。认为肌肉注射不受客观条件限制，使用方便可靠，为首选方法     

地佐辛联合帕瑞昔布钠超前镇痛对直肠癌术后镇痛效果观察

为探讨地佐辛与帕瑞昔布钠联合应用能否有效提高超前镇痛的效果及减少其它阿片类镇痛药物的用量,减轻直肠癌患者术后的疼痛及不良反应,将行直肠癌根治术的患者120例随机分为3组,每组40例。第一组（P组）：手术结束前30min静脉注射帕瑞昔布钠40mg;第二组（D组）：手术结束前30min静脉注射地佐辛5mg;第三组（PD组）：手术结束前30min静脉注射帕瑞昔布钠40mg和地佐辛5mg,术后所有患者行静脉自控镇痛（PCA）治疗。观察患者术后疼痛视觉模拟评分（VAS）,PCA有效按压次数和首次肛门排气、排便时间,Ramsay镇静评分,恶心、呕吐发生率等指标。结果显示,PD组患者PCA有效按压次数显著少于P组和D组（P〈O．05）;PD组患者首次肛门排气、排便时间早于P组和D组（P〈0．05）。结果表明,直肠癌根治术采用地佐辛联合帕瑞昔布钠超前镇痛加PCA治疗效果明确,可降低枸橼酸芬太尼的用量,患者胃肠功能恢复快。     

帕瑞昔布钠对下肢手术后镇痛效果的影响

目的 观察帕瑞昔布钠对下肢手术后镇痛效果的影响.方法 45例ASA Ⅰ或Ⅱ级全麻下行下肢矫形手术的患者随机分为三组,A组全麻诱导前静注帕瑞昔布钠40 mg,B组缝合伤口时静注帕瑞昔布钠40 mg,C组为对照组.三组患者于缝皮时开启皮下自控镇痛(PCSA)泵(100 ml溶液含芬太尼2.0 mg).记录苏醒后即刻(T1)、术后4 h(T2)、24 h(T3)、36 h(T4)的VAS评分,记录术后4 h及24 h内PCSA按压次数,术后24 h芬太尼用量,观察头晕、恶心呕吐发生率.结果 T1～T3时A、B组VAS评分均显著低于C组(P<0.05);T1、T2时A组VAS评分显著低于B组(P<0.05).A和B组术后24 h PCSA泵按压次数、芬太尼总量及术后恶心呕吐发生率显著低于C组(P<0.05).结论 下肢手术中使用帕瑞昔布钠具有良好的镇痛作用和超前镇痛作用.     

Risk of Reoperation in Simple Ankle Fracture Surgery When Comparing Locking Plate With Nonlocking Plate

Locking plates were initially designed to provide improved stability to ankle fractures with poor bone quality but are currently widely used. The aim of this study was to compare the reoperation risk when using locking plates compared with nonlocking plates in patients with simple ankle fractures. This study was a population-based register study. Data regarding patients with AO type 44A1/2 and 44B1/2 injuries who were treated with either locking or nonlocking plates were obtained from the Danish Fracture Database. The follow-up period was 24 months. Major complications were defined as complications requiring surgical intervention, with the exception of simple hardware removal 6 weeks after primary surgery, which was defined as a minor complication. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine relative risk (RR), adjusted for age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (ASA)-score, and level of the surgeon's experience. A total of 2177 ankle fractures were included, among which 718 (33%) were treated with locking plates, and 1459 (67%) were treated with nonlocking plates. Data were linked with the Danish National Patient Registry to ensure complete information was obtained regarding reoperations, which were divided into major and minor complications. In both groups, the risks for major and minor complications were 3% and 22%, respectively, resulting in adjusted RRs of 1.00 (0.66; 1.66) for major reoperation comparing locking with nonlocking plates and 0.92 (0.76; 1.11) for minor reoperations. We conclude that no significant association with reoperation exists for locking compared with nonlocking plates among patients with surgically treated simple ankle fractures.     

Paratrooper's Ankle Fracture: Posterior Malleolar Fracture

BackgroundWe assessed the frequency and types of ankle fractures that frequently occur during parachute landings of special operation unit personnel and analyzed the causes.MethodsFifty-six members of the special force brigade of the military who had sustained ankle fractures during parachute landings between January 2005 and April 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The injury sites and fracture sites were identified and the fracture types were categorized by the Lauge-Hansen and Weber classifications. Follow-up surveys were performed with respect to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot score, patient satisfaction, and return to preinjury activity.ResultsThe patients were all males with a mean age of 23.6 years. There were 28 right and 28 left ankle fractures. Twenty-two patients had simple fractures and 34 patients had comminuted fractures. The average number of injury and fractures sites per person was 2.07 (116 injuries including a syndesmosis injury and a deltoid injury) and 1.75 (98 fracture sites), respectively. Twenty-three cases (41.07%) were accompanied by posterior malleolar fractures. Fifty-five patients underwent surgery; of these, 30 had plate internal fixations. Weber type A, B, and C fractures were found in 4, 38, and 14 cases, respectively. Based on the Lauge-Hansen classification, supination-external rotation injuries were found in 20 cases, supination-adduction injuries in 22 cases, pronation-external rotation injuries in 11 cases, tibiofibular fractures in 2 cases, and simple medial malleolar fractures in 2 cases. The mean follow-up period was 23.8 months, and the average follow-up American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot score was 85.42. Forty-five patients (80.36%) reported excellent or good satisfaction with the outcome.ConclusionsPosterior malleolar fractures occurred in 41.07% of ankle fractures sustained in parachute landings. Because most of the ankle fractures in parachute injuries were compound fractures, most cases had to undergo surgical repairs.     

踝关节骨折中后踝骨折的治疗分析

目的通过对踝关节骨折伴有后踝骨折术后病人进行回顾性研究,探讨创伤类型、受伤后施行手术的时间、手术方法及不同年龄的治疗效果,总结经验,为临床工作提供参考。方法选取1999年1月～2007年12月确诊为踝关节骨折伴有后踝骨折并行切开复位内固定者65例,针对不同创伤类型采取不同手术方法,对相关资料进行统计学分析,以确定上述相关因素对术后功能恢复的影响。结果65例随访平均38个月。踝关节术后功能在伤后实施手术时间及所采用的手术方法方面差异无明显统计学意义(P=0.660,P=0.865),但在年龄和创伤类型方面差异有明显的统计学意义(P=0.018,P=0.001)。结论年龄及创伤类型是影响踝关节骨折伴后踝骨折术后关节功能的主要因素。     

Risk Factors for Ankle Fracture

Ankle fractures are frequently observed in postmenopausal women although the pattern of incidence and risk factor profile suggest that ankle fracture may not be a typical osteoporotic fracture. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of osteopenia and vertebral fracture and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), anthropometry, lifestyle and reproductive factors in women who have sustained an ankle fracture. We studied 103 women aged 50–80 years (mean 63.2, 7.9 SD) with ankle fracture. These were compared with 375 women aged 50–86 years (mean 64.5, 9.1 SD) from a population-based cohort. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and contralateral proximal femur (including femoral neck (FN), Ward’s triangle (WT) and trochanteric region (TR)) was measured by DXA. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneus and proximal digits was measured using three different devices. Radiographs of the thoracolumbar spine were taken (anteroposterior and lateral views). There were no significant differences in the prevalence of osteoporosis (T<–2.5 level) at the LS, FN and WT sites. The population-based cohort had lower TR BMD than the ankle fracture cohort. Age-and weight-adjusted Z-scores of FN BMD were significantly lower in the ankle fracture group. Age- and weight-adjusted Z-scores of QUS gave contradictory results. There were no differences in the receiver operating characteristics of DXA compared with QUS. Twenty-seven women (7%) of the population-based cohort and 10 women (10%) of the ankle fracture cohort were found to have prevalent vertebral fractures; these were not significantly different. Nine percent of the population-based cohort and 26% of the ankle fracture cohort reported previous distal forearm fracture (p<0.001). The ankle fracture cohort had a higher weight and body mass index than the controls. All other lifestyle, medical and reproductive variables did not differ between the two groups. In summary, ankle fracture is not a typical osteoporotic fracture since the BMD was not decreased and the prevalence of vertebral fractures was not increased (although it may be associated with other limb fractures). It is likely that the increased body weight, by increasing the forces applied to the ankle in a fall, is a major risk factor for ankle fracture. Received: 18 April 2000 / Accepted: 25 July 2000     

Preemptive Surgery for Premalignant Foregut Lesions

Introduction  

Preemptive surgery is the prophylactic removal of an organ at high risk for malignant transformation or the resection of a precancerous or “early” malignant neoplasm in an individual with a hereditary predisposition to cancer. Recent advances in molecular diagnostic techniques have improved our understanding of the biologic behavior of these conditions. Predictive testing is an emerging field that attempts to assess the potential risk of cancer development in predisposed individuals. Despite substantial improvement in these forms of testing, all results are imperfect. This information often becomes an important tool that is used by healthcare providers to evaluate the risk–benefit ratio of various risk modifying strategies (i.e., intensive surveillance or preemptive surgery).     

The Hyperplantarflexion Ankle Fracture Variant

Various patterns of ankle fractures that are not accounted for by common classification systems have been the subject of case reports. The first difficulty with these variant patterns is recognizing all associated pathology, followed by the successful application of stable fixation. The purpose of this study was to describe the common morphologic features and ligamentous injuries of a unique variant fracture pattern, as well as the surgical treatment technique and the short-term functional and radiographic outcomes. Of 121 consecutive unstable ankle fractures over a 2-year period, 7 patients were found to have a similar constellation of injuries around the ankle. A vertical shear fracture of the posteromedial tibial rim was the main feature. Six of the 7 also had a fracture of the posterior malleolus. On magnetic resonance imaging, the deltoid and posterior tibiofibular ligaments were intact in all cases. Fractures were treated with open anatomic reduction of the posteromedial and posterior fragments with antiglide plate fixation. All fractures healed at 2 months without loss of reduction, fixation failure, or surgical complications. The average American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lower extremity score was 79 at an average of 8 months' follow-up. The common radiographic and morphologic features associated with this posteromedial fracture indicate that it likely occurs through a common mechanism that involves hyperplantarflexion. The characteristics of this fracture pattern have not been fully described previously, but this ankle fracture variant may occur in up to 6% of cases. Unstable ankle fractures should be evaluated carefully for evidence of posteromedial involvement so appropriate treatment may proceed.     

Incidence of Chondral and Osteochondral Lesions in Ankle Fracture Patients Identified With Ankle Arthroscopy Following Rotational Ankle Fracture: A Systematic Review

A systematic literature search was performed using the PubMed, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library databases according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analyses guidelines on May 20, 2019. The keywords used were: ankle, distal tibia, distal fibula, fracture, arthroscopic, cartilage, and chondral. The objective of this study is to systematically review the characterization of intra-articular chondral injuries of the talus, tibial plafond, medial malleolus, and lateral malleolus in patients who undergo ankle arthroscopy following ankle fracture. Studies evaluating the incidence of chondral lesions at the time of arthroscopy for ankle fractures within any timeframe were included. The incidence of intra-articular chondral lesions was recorded, the location within the ankle, ankle fracture type, time of arthroscopy, characterization of chondral injury, complications, and outcome if available. Fifteen studies with 1355 ankle fractures were included. About 738 demonstrated evidence of chondral or osteochondral lesion (54.5%). Statistical analyses were carried out with statistical software package SPSS 24.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL). We compared incidence rates of chondral injury based on Weber classification, malleolar fracture type, and Lauge-Hansen classification, using Pearson chi-square test. For all analyses, p < .05 was considered statistically significant. We found a high incidence of intra-articular chondral lesion in the setting of ankle fractures as demonstrated by arthroscopy.