Evaluation of Ankle Tightrope Syndesmosis Fixation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Ankle sprains are among the most common of bone and joint injuries. Historically, distal tibiofibular syndesmotic injuries have been treated using syndesmotic metal screws to prevent diastasis. However, the use of screws meant that physiological micro-movement between the tibia and fibula was lost which often results in loosening and breaking of the screws. Tightrope fixation was a new technique that has been developed to overcome these complications and allowed some degree of flexibility similar to that offered by natural ligaments. The aim of our study was to evaluate such injuries. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective study reviewing all clinical records of cases of patients with injuries of the distal tibofibular syndesmosis treated with the ankle tightrope (Arthrex Inc) in our institution between January 2008 and January 2011. Results A total of 42 patients were reviewed. We encountered five cases with complications (12%). Of those: three required removals due to prominent knot, one soft-tissue irritation and one with uncomplicated wound infection. Conclusion Our study, one of the largest so far evaluating complications of tightrope fixation, demonstrates that one in eight patients treated with tightrope will experience complication. How to cite this article Al-azzani WAK, Sabah T, Paringe V, O'Doherty D. Evaluation of Ankle Tightrope Syndesmosis fixation. J Foot Ankle Surg (Asia-Pacific) 2014;1(1):1-4.