Comparison of ankle dislocation exposure versus traditional posterolateral approach exposure in the treatment of complex posterior ankle malunion
10.3760/cma.j.cn115530-20241021-00407
- VernacularTitle:踝关节脱位暴露与传统后外侧入路暴露在治疗复杂后踝畸形愈合中的应用比较
- Author:
Yongzhan ZHU
1
;
Wenbo BAI
;
Baoli ZOU
;
Hongning ZHANG
;
Zhiqiang XU
;
Guodong SHEN
Author Information
1. 广州中医药大学附属佛山中医院足踝外科，佛山 528000
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Ankle joints;
Fracture healing;
Surgical procedures, elective;
Ankle dislocation method
- From:
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma
2025;27(1):32-38
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between the ankle dislocation exposure versus the traditional posterolateral approach exposure in the treatment of complex posterior ankle malunion.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the 50 patients (50 feet) with posterior ankle malunion who had been treated at Department of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics, Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from May 2015 to June 2023. This cohort included 18 males and 32 females, with an age of (46.2±12.0) years. The duration from injury to surgery averaged 7.0 (4.0, 12.2) months. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the surgical exposure methods: an ankle dislocation group (22 cases) in which the posterior ankle malunion was exposed by ankle dislocation before reduction and fixation, and a traditional posterolateral approach group (28 cases) in which the posterior ankle malunion was exposed by the traditional posterolateral approach before reduction and fixation. Evaluation indices included operative time, ankle arthritis grading, incidence of complications, as well as pre-operative and last follow-up recordings of distal tibial articular angle and joint step-off, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, and ankle-hindfoot score of American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle society (AOFAS).Results:There was no significant difference in the baseline data between the 2 groups, indicating comparability ( P>0.05). The average follow-up was (39.4±17.9) months. The operative time in the dislocation group [(95.8±9.9) min] was significantly shorter than that in the posterolateral approach group [(121.9±14.3) min] ( P<0.05). The step-off on the distal tibial articular surface at the last follow-up in the dislocation group [0.3 (0.0, 0.9) mm] was significantly lower than that in the posterolateral approach group [1.0 (0.3, 1.1) mm] ( P<0.05). The grading of ankle arthritis was significantly worse in the posterolateral approach group than that in the dislocation group ( P<0.05). There were no differences in distal tibial articular angle, VAS pain score, AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score, or postoperative complications between the 2 groups at the last follow-up ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Both ankle dislocation exposure and traditional posterolateral approach exposure yield satisfactory clinical and radiological outcomes in patients with complex posterior ankle malunion. However, the ankle dislocation exposure offers a novel method for direct visualization of the malunion on multiple planes, which is more advantageous for restoration of the anatomical consistency of the distal tibial articular surface.
