Lagged Syndesmotic Fixation: Our Clinical Experience

Functional outcome of fusion versus ligament reconstruction in patients with a syndesmosis injury: A narrative review

Injury to distal tibiofibular syndesmosis is commonly associated with ankle fractures. The surgical treatment especially in isolated chronic syndesmosis instability is still debated. This article has reviewed literature identified from PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane from year 2000 onwards and compared the functional outcomes between syndesmosis fusion and ligament reconstruction based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eighteen studies were included. All the included papers described a good-to-excellent post-operative functional outcome without major complications. No significant difference between the two surgical interventions could be concluded. Further studies of better quality shall be conducted in the future.

Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Dysfunction: A Systematic Literature Review of Dynamic Versus Static Fixation Over the Last 10 Years

The goal of the present work was to perform a systematic review of the literature of the past 10 years regarding dynamic and static fixation of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis to determine any clinical differences between the 2 procedures. A literature search of the PubMed MEDLINE database was conducted to identify relevant studies related to distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. Studies before January 1, 2007, were excluded to limit the project to the recent literature. Clinical outcomes, device removal rates, time to weightbearing after the initial procedure, and the cost effectiveness of each device were explored. In these 26 studies, 350 patients were treated using a dynamic technique and 845 were treated using a static technique. The weighted American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score was 91.70 (standard error [SE] 1.87) for dynamic fixation patients and the weighted average was 86.48 (SE 2.17) for static fixation patients (p = .068). A secondary procedure to remove the fixation device was performed in 7.7% of dynamic fixation patients and in 39.4% of static fixation patients when studies with 100% device removal were excluded (p < .0001). The mean time to weightbearing was 5.96 (SE 0.72) weeks for patients who underwent dynamic fixation and 10.45 (SE 0.99) weeks for those who had static fixation (p = .0002). The cost for dynamic fixation was found to be less than that for static fixation when secondary procedures for device removal were considered. Based on similar clinical functional scores, lower secondary procedure rates, faster time to full weightbearing, and lower costs to patients, dynamic fixation of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis may be a superior option compared with static fixation.

Is It Possible to Overcompress the Syndesmosis?

The case we present suggests that it might be possible to overcompress the syndesmosis, causing subluxation of the talus within the ankle mortise. A 26-year-old female patient had had a Weber Type C ankle fracture internally fixed with a lateral plate and syndesmosis screws. Despite the fibula appearing well reduced and computed tomography imaging showing a well-aligned fibula within the fibular notch, anteromedial subluxation of the talus was present in the ankle mortise. Examination with the patient under anesthesia revealed a stable syndesmosis fixation; however, talar malpositioning was not affected by the foot position. The syndesmosis fixation was revised sequentially. As the fixation was relaxed sequentially, the talus appeared to reduce within the ankle mortise, with restoration of the previously obliterated medial clear space. The syndesmosis was stabilized with a single 3.5-mm cortical screw in a reduced position. The patient had made a full recovery at the 12-month follow-up examination, having undergone elective syndesmosis screw removal at 12 weeks postoperatively. Several studies have suggested that it might not be possible to overcompress the syndesmosis and have even advocated the use of a lag screw technique for syndesmosis fixation. Based on the present case, we would advise a degree of caution with this approach, because it might be possible to overcompress the syndesmosis and cause significant subluxation of the tibiotalar articulation.