Background The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of adverse events in elderly patients who required inpatient admission after sustaining an ankle fracture and to consider these data ...in relation to geriatric hip fracture and other geriatric patient admissions. Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients admitted with an ankle fracture, a hip fracture, or any other diagnosis was performed with the Medicare Part A database for 2008. The primary outcome measure was the one-year mortality rate, examined with multivariate analysis factoring for both patient age and preexisting comorbidity. Secondary outcome measures analyzed additional morbidity as reflected by length of stay, discharge disposition, readmissions, and medical complications. Results There were 19,648 patients with ankle fractures, 193,980 patients with hip fractures, and 5,801,831 patients with other admitting diagnoses. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were noted in both age and comorbidity status between the group with ankle fractures and the group with hip fractures. The one-year mortality after admission was 11.9% for patients with ankle fracture, 28.2% for patients with hip fracture, and 21.5% for patients with any other admission. Upon using multivariate analysis to account for both age and comorbidity, the hazard ratio for one-year mortality associated with fracture was 1.088 for patients with hip fracture and 0.557 for patients with ankle fracture. Conclusions Even after selecting for admitted patients and accounting for both age and comorbidity, geriatric patients with ankle fractures were found to have a lower one-year morbidity compared with geriatric patients who had sustained a hip fracture or alternative admitting diagnoses. Geriatric patients with ankle fractures are likely healthier and more active in ways that are not captured by simply accounting for age and comorbidity. These findings may support more aggressive definitive management of such injuries in this population. Level of Evidence Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Nonunion remains the most impactful complication following ankle and hindfoot arthrodesis. Historically, surgeons have relied on autologous bone graft (ABG) to combat nonunion risk. Although ...effective, ABG remains limited in quantity, varies in quality, and can be associated with harvest site pain and morbidity. Use of alternative bone-stimulating agents, however, avoids harvesting an autograft, and provides a more predictable dose-response efficacy. This article highlights findings from basic science, animal, and human clinical research that led to the approval of Augment Bone Graft. We present an adaptation of the surgical techniques described for investigators participating in the pivotal trial.
Category:
Trauma; Ankle
Introduction/Purpose:
There is a paucity of literature regarding the effect of socioeconomic disparity on patient access to health care following surgery for acute ...musculoskeletal injuries. We hypothesized that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is independently associated with increased utilization of the emergency department (ED) for care, and less reliable outpatient follow up after ankle fracture surgery.
Methods:
A retrospective analysis was performed of 1,571 patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery between 2010 and 2020 at three large academic medical centers and one community hospital. Using 2010 United States Census data linked to place of residence, a summary measure of SES was created for each zip code. SES was divided into three percentile groups: 0-25%, 26-75% and 76-100%, wherein the 0- 25% group represented the lowest SES score. Independent patient and injury factors associated with ED visits and outpatient in-office follow up within 90 days of ankle fracture surgery were examined using multivariable Poisson regression models.
Results:
Patients in the lowest quintile of SES had a higher incidence of ED visits within 90 days after surgery (adjusted incidence ratio aIR, 1.54, p< 0.001). Patients in the highest quintile of SES had a higher frequency of outpatient follow up within 90 days after surgery (aIR, 1.23, p< 0.001) compared to those in the middle SES quintile. Independent factors associated with increased ED visits following ankle fracture surgery were lower SES, lateral malleolus fracture, heightened comorbidities, increased BMI, Spanish-speaking patients, and patients with drug and/or alcohol dependence.
Conclusion:
Patients of lower socioeconomic status, those with substance use disorders, and those who must overcome language barriers to seek care demonstrate higher emergency resource utilization and are less likely to follow up in clinic after ankle fracture surgery. A better understanding of patient and injury factors associated with such increased ED visits may provide guidance as to which patient subpopulations may require more attention after ankle fracture surgery.
Stress fractures of the foot and ankle are common injuries in athletes. Management differs considerably based on fracture location and predisposing factors. Repetitive loading of the foot and ankle ...in athletes should result in physiologic bone remodeling in accordance with Wolff’s law. However, when there is not sufficient time for complete healing to occur before additional loads are incurred, this process can instead lead to stress fracture. Assessment of the athlete’s training regimen and overall bone health is paramount to both the discovery and treatment of these injuries, although diagnosis is often delayed in the setting of normal-appearing initial radiographs. While most stress fractures of the foot or ankle can usually be treated nonoperatively with a period of activity modification, fractures in certain locations are considered “high risk” due to poor intrinsic healing and may warrant more proactive operative management.
Category:
Ankle; Other
Introduction/Purpose:
Anatomical reduction of the distal syndesmosis can be challenging. There is ongoing debate and variability in the methods used for evaluating the accuracy ...of reduction, including radiography, intra-operative CT, arthroscopy, and direct visualization. Tornetta et al. have described a method called ‘the articular surface method’ that evaluates the relationship between the articular cartilage of the distal anteromedial fibula and the anterolateral tibia as being significantly more accurate for detecting malreduction. However, it entails an additional surgical incision over the distal aspect of the ankle. The aim of this study was to find a non-invasive method using ultrasound to assess the accuracy of reduction in syndesmotic injuries.
Methods:
A cadaveric syndesmotic instability model was created by dissecting the PITFL, IOL, and AITFL through a small posterior incision. The fibula was fixed in incremental degrees of rotational malreduction to achieve a malreduction of 3, 5, and 7 mm. A blinded observer assessed the syndesmosis using a portable ultrasound device. The probe was placed in its short axis at the level of the ankle joint then moved proximally until both the anteromedial fibular and anterolateral tibial articular surfaces were visualized simultaneously in one view. In a reduced syndesmosis, the distal articular surfaces of the tibia and fibula overlap. This relationship is altered in a malreduced syndesmosis, which allows ultrasonographic waves to ‘penetrate’ through the malreduced articular surfaces and be readily detected. This sign was graded positive if an acoustic signal penetrated between the distal articular surfaces of the tibia and fibula, and negative if no acoustic signal was detected.
Results:
The gap penetrance sign was positive in all 3 instances of malreduced syndesmoses, and negative in an anatomically reduced syndesmosis. Figure 1 illustrates the outcomes in a reduced syndesmosis and malreduced syndesmosis, respectively.
Conclusion:
We introduced a novel sign that can be used as a surrogate of the ‘articular surface method’ to detect syndesmotic malreduction. It is accurate, can obviate the need for a separate surgical incision for direct visualization, permits rapid point-of- care evaluation in the operating room, and minimizes radiation exposure
Category:
Hindfoot; Sports
Introduction/Purpose:
The use of a dorsal closing wedge calcaneal osteotomy (DCWCO) in the treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy (IAT) has recently gained ...popularity. The anatomical changes imposed by the osteotomy are believed to improve both the biological and mechanical processes involved in IAT. However, the impact of shortening the Achilles leverage arm after DCWCO and the full impact of DCWCO on foot anatomy and function is not well understood. This study aimed to examine the effects of DCWCO on the 3D alignment and biomechanics of the foot and ankle in IAT patients through simulated models of DCWCO. The hypothesis was that DCWCO would significantly impact foot alignment and decrease gastrocsoleus lever arm.
Methods:
Six weightbearing ankle CTs of patients with IAT were identified from the clinical database. Bone segmentation was performed and DCWCOs were conducted in standardized planes with six variations, resulting in a total of 36 foot models. Two plantar osteotomy starting points were defined as 1-cm anterior (posterior osteotomy) and 2-cm anterior (anterior osteotomy) to the most plantar point of calcaneus. The osteotomies were extended to dorsal surface at 1-cm anterior to posterosuperior calcaneus with 6, 10, or 14-mm wedges anteriorly. After the osteotomies, the posterior part of the calcaneus was rotated around the plantar starting point until proper bone contact was achieved. Achilles reconstruction was also performed using pre-defined Achilles insertion points. All models were then transferred to a MATLAB-based algorithm for automated measurements. These measurements included talocalcaneal, calcaneal pitch, Böhler, and Achilles tendon sagittal angles, Achilles moment arm, Achilles- posterosuperior calcaneus distance, and difference in soleus-Achilles length.
Results:
Anteriorly placed osteotomy caused more significant decrease in the Böhler angle (p < 0.001). Evaluation of the posteriorly placed osteotomy separately showed no significant decrease in the Böhler angle for patients with more than 30- degrees of preoperative Böhler angle (p=0.26). However, patients with a preoperative Böhler angle less than 30-degrees showed a significant decrease, approaching values close to 5-degrees (p=0.004). Gastrocsoleus moment arm decrease was found to be 2-3% by using force/moment equation. The change in the distance between Achilles tendon and the posterosuperior calcaneus was similar between anterior and posterior osteotomies, with less than 3-mm in a 6-mm wedge and more than 5-mm in a 10-mm wedge osteotomy. The calculations showed that ankle dorsiflexion can increase by one degree for each mm of resection.
Conclusion:
An anteriorly placed starting point for a DCWCO can negatively affect foot alignment and offer limited benefits for Achilles decompression. If the preoperative Böhler angle is less than 30, a DCWCO can significantly decrease the Böhler angle, potentially putting the subtalar joint at risk for arthritis by increasing the load as reported by some finite element studies. The maximum decrease in gastrocsoleus power is less than 3%, which may be clinically insignificant. A posterior starting point with 10- mm wedge can be adequate to move Haglund around 5-mm anteriorly and can move Achilles insertion 10-mm superiorly to decrease tension.
In the absence of bony deformity, ankle equinus is generally the result of shortening within the gastrocnemius-soleus complex. Restriction of ankle dorsiflexion as a proxy for equinus contracture has ...been linked to increased mechanical strains and resultant foot and ankle pathology for a long time. This entity has many known causes, and data suggest it can manifest as either an isolated gastrocnemius or combined (Achilles) contracture. Numerous disorders of the foot and ankle have been linked with such "equinus disease", and although some of these relationships remain controversial, a reasonably convincing relationship between equinus contracture and the development of flatfoot exists. What is still perhaps most misunderstood is the temporal association between these two pathologies, and hence higher levels of evidence are needed in the future to define more precisely the interplay between flatfoot deformity and gastrocnemius-soleus tightness.
Category:
Trauma; Ankle
Introduction/Purpose:
Weber-B ankle fractures represent an increasingly common injury world-wide, and the decision for operative fixation often hinges on the stability and ...congruency of the ankle. While tibiotalar displacement is typically evaluated using the medial clear space on plain radiographs, this method remains prone to inaccuracy because of x-ray beam rotation and manual measurement errors. Furthermore, the influence of these fractures on the mechanical environment of the ankle remains unknown. The recent advent of weightbearing cone-beam CT (WBCT) overcomes these drawbacks by imaging during bipedal stance, allowing a 3D anatomical and mechanical analysis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the 3D mortise displacement and contact mechanics in weber B ankle fractures by use of WBCT in comparison to their healthy contralateral side.
Methods:
In this retrospective study, our ankle trauma database was searched for Weber-B ankle fractures imaged by bilateral WBCT imaging between 2015 and 2022. Exclusion criteria consisted of metal or motion artifacts, presence of ankle osteoarthritis, and an age less than 18 years or more than 75 years. Segmentation into 3D models of bone was performed semi-automatically, while personalized cartilage layers were modeled based on a previously validated methodology. Bilateral ankle models were imported in custom-made Matlab® script for an automated anatomical and mechanical analysis. 3D mortise congruency was evaluated by use of following parameters: fibular length, talocrural angle, distance mapping of the medial gutter and tibiofibular clear space distance mapping. Contact mechanics were evaluated by the mean and maximum contact stress of the tibia and talus, as well as the contact area (Figure 1). A student’s T-test was performed to investigate the difference between the fractured and healthy side.
Results:
Thirty-two patients, with mean age 38.50 years (SD = 15.81 ) and weight 79.12 kg (SD = 16,24), were confirmed eligible for analysis. Statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences for all anatomical parameters (P > 0.05). The mean contact stress of the fractured and healthy side was 2.10 (SD = 0.42) MPa and 2.10 (SD = 0,41) MPa, respectively, whereas the maximum stress was 7.67 MPa (SD = 1.55) and 7,47 MPa (SD = 1,67), respectively. No statistical significant differences were found between all mechanical parameters (P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that contact mechanics are not affected in Weber-B fractures with a congruent mortise. Therefore, non-operative treatment could be considered, as there will theoretically be no increased risk for the patients to develop posttraumatic osteoarthritis in the long term. In clinical practice, WBCT could prove useful to determine the 3D anatomical and mechanical environment of ankle fractures and guide patients towards (non-) operative treatment. However, further studies should focus on the minimal clinical important difference/rehabilitation factors associated with mortise malalignment based on concomitant contact stress increase, which would warrant and identify which cases need surgical reduction.
Introduction/Purpose:
Today women are over 50% of medical school matriculants but remain underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery (~15% of residents and < 6% of practicing surgeons). Moreover, despite ...different and sometimes controversial reports, the rate of female society memberships and national and international meeting speakers as well as their contribution to leadership positions including moderating sessions, podiums, and symposiums are believed to be low. The objective of this study was to assess whether there is a gap in female representation among invited speakers at American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) national meetings relative to research productivity as reflected by article authorship in Foot & Ankle International journal (FAI).
Methods:
Programs for AOFAS specialty days and annual meetings and FAI articles from January 2012 to December 2022 were obtained. Industry-hosted programs were excluded. Gender was identified through personal acquaintance or online search on the biographies of the authors. Presentations and articles were categorized as “technical” or “non-technical”, where technical was defined as relating to basic science or the clinical practice of orthopaedics. Comparisons were done using the Chi-Square Test (significance level= p< 0.05).
Results:
1,020 AOFAS presentations and 2,230 FAI articles were analyzed. Gender was unavailable for 0.19% of AOFAS speakers, 4.48% of FAI first authors and 4.13% of FAI senior authors. 11.08% of AOFAS invited national meeting speakers, 15.18% of FAI first authors and 7.40% of FAI senior authors were female. Overall, the proportion of female speakers was significantly lower than female first authors (p= 0.0036), and significantly higher than female senior authors (p < 0.001). In 2018 and 2019, women were more likely to have given “non-technical” AOFAS presentations. There was no significant difference in other years or among FAI articles. The average annual change was +2.00% female AOFAS presenters, +0.31% FAI female first authors and -0.37% FAI female senior authors per year.
Conclusion:
Women represented 15.16% of first authors in FAI between 2012 and 2022 but 11.08% of invited speakers at AOFAS meetings. Meanwhile, the percentage of female AOFAS membership in the organization as a whole increased from 7.5% to 13%.
Thus, despite historically low rates of representation, female Foot & Ankle surgeons were proportionally represented in 2021 and 2022 among invited national conference presentations and research compared to female society membership and female research publications in FAI. There is still room to increase representation of deserving historically under-represented groups, however the increase in female AOFAS presenters demonstrates a positive trend.
Figure 1. Percentage of AOFAS Female Podium Speakers and FAI Female 1st Authors, 2012 - 2022
Category:
Hindfoot; Sports
Introduction/Purpose:
Posterior heel pain at the Achilles tendon insertion is a prevalent and debilitating condition that is not yet fully understood. It results from a ...combination of bony and soft tissue abnormalities, including insertional Achilles tendinopathy, retrocalcaneal bursitis, and posterosuperior bony prominence. While the most commonly used surgical technique for treatment is debridement and reattachment of the tendon, dorsal closing wedge calcaneal osteotomy (DCWCO) has recently gained popularity. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to analyze the published literature related to both surgical techniques and compare their outcomes. Our hypothesis was that DCWCO can provide similar clinical outcomes with a lower complication rate.
Methods:
We conducted a literature search in Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases. Clinical studies reporting at least one of the clinical outcomes among AOFAS score and complications, with an open technique and sufficient data to extract and pool, were included. The extraction was made by two users using the Covidence platform. Studies with less than 10 patients or less than 12 months follow-up were excluded. Initial search yielded 329 papers, and after excluding duplicates and irrelevant studies, 43 papers were left. After a full-text review of these 43 papers, we found 15 papers eligible for meta-analysis. We used the Modified Coleman Methodology to assess the quality of papers.
Results:
Out of the 15 articles, seven included reattachment patients, while eight included DCWCO patients. 171 feet underwent reattachment, while 239 feet underwent DCWCO. The average follow-up of patients was significantly higher in the DCWCO group (42.2 months) than reattachment group (23.2 months). The average AOFAS score improvement was similar between the groups. The total complication numbers were 30 (16.6%) in the reattachment group and 28 (9.2%) in the DCWCO group, but the difference did not reach significance since the confidence intervals were overlapping. However, wound complications were significantly more common in Reattachment group (10.1%) compared to DCWCO (2.5%). The number of revision surgeries and neurological complications (sural neuritis, hypersensitivity, etc.) were similar between the groups. The average AOFAS score improvement was similar between the groups.
Conclusion:
Both techniques yielded comparable clinical outcomes. The overall complication rate was similar, but DCWCO exhibited a lower wound complication rate than reattachment. Therefore, the study results imply that DCWCO can provide similar clinical outcomes with fewer wound complications. However, further well-designed studies are necessary to reach a definitive conclusion on this matter and compare both techniques in the same study setting.
