Deltoid ligament repair reduces and stabilizes the talus in unstable ankle fractures

Bennet A Butler; Eric C Hempen; Mauricio Barbosa; Muturi Muriuki; Robert M Havey; Richard W Nicolay; Anish R Kadakia

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2019.06.005

Deltoid ligament repair reduces and stabilizes the talus in unstable ankle fractures

J Orthop. 2019 Jun 4:17:87-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2019.06.005. eCollection 2020 Jan-Feb.

Authors

Bennet A Butler¹, Eric C Hempen¹, Mauricio Barbosa¹, Muturi Muriuki², Robert M Havey², Richard W Nicolay¹, Anish R Kadakia¹

Affiliations

¹ Northwestern Memorial Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 676 N. Saint Clair, Suite 1350, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
² Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory, Edward Hines, Jr VA Hospital, 5000 5th Ave, Hines, IL, 60141, USA.

Abstract

Introduction: Treatment of supination external rotation type IV (SER-IV) ankle injuries has focused on reduction and fixation of the fibula and syndesmosis (ORIF), not repair of the deltoid ligament.

Methods: Twenty-one ankles were analyzed with a motion capture system. Uninjured ankles were stressed and compared to ankles with SER-IV injuries, then with ORIF, and finally ORIF and deltoid repair.

Results: After deltoid ligament repair, talar coronal and axial rotation normalized to the uninjured state and were significantly reduced compared to ORIF alone.

Discussion: Deltoid ligament repair after an SER-IV ankle injury can help directly reduce and stabilize the tibiotalar joint.

Keywords: Ankle fracture; Deltoid ligament; Deltoid ligament repair; Syndesmosis.