Publication:

A prospective study of the surgical management of malleolar fractures around the ankle

Background Ankle fractures are commonly occurring fractures, especially in the aging population, where they often present as fragility fractures.

Methods Malleolar (mono, bi and tri malleolar) fracture patients treated at a tertiary healthcare centre located in South Kerala, India were included in this prospective study. The present study comprised of 27 patients over 20 years of age with closed, unstable or displaced ankle malleolar fractures treated surgically attending the study centre over a period of 6 months. After a clinical evaluation, a full survey was done to rule out major damage. After surgical intervention, follow-up occurred every 6 weeks for at least 8 months. The study used Baird and Jackson's subjective, objective and radiographic ankle scoring method to assess functional outcome.

Results The findings indicated that the predominant injury types according to the lauge hansen classification were supination-external rotation (40.7%) and pronation-external rotation (40.7%). The results indicated that the majority of participants achieved excellent scores (59.25%), followed by good scores (18.5%), fair scores (14.8%) and poor scores (7.4%).

Conclusions The study of surgical interventions for malleolar fractures at the ankle demonstrates that open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is an effective treatment method, leading to improved functional outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of precise anatomical alignment and stable fixation in mitigating issues such as malunion and non-union.