Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Sep;48(5):445-52.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5413.139829.

Understanding risks and complications in the management of ankle fractures

Saurabh Sagar Mehta  1 , Kishan Rees  1 , Lucy Cutler  1 , Jitendra Mangwani  1
Affiliations
Review

Understanding risks and complications in the management of ankle fractures

Saurabh Sagar Mehta et al. Indian J Orthop. 2014 Sep.

Abstract

Ankle fracture (AF) is a common injury with potentially significant morbidity associated with it. The most common age groups affected are young active patients, sustaining high energy trauma and elderly patients with comorbidities. Both these groups pose unique challenges for appropriate management of these injuries. Young patients are at risk of developing posttraumatic osteoarthritis, with a significant impact on quality of life due to pain and impaired function. Elderly patients, especially with poorly controlled diabetes and osteoporosis are at increased risk of wound complications, infection and failure of fixation. In the most severe cases, this can lead to amputation and mortality. Therefore, individualized approach to the management of AF is vital. This article highlights commonly encountered complications and discusses the measures needed to minimize them when dealing with these injuries.

Keywords: Ankle fractures; Ankle injuries; complications; diabetes; elderly; fractures; osteoarthritis; posttraumatic ankle osteoarthirits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior view showing fracture dislocation of ankle. It should be reduced promptly and postreduction radiographs should be obtained
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clinical photograph showing fracture blisters
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior view showing simple bi malleolar fracture in diabetic patient with peripheral neuropathy (b and c) X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior and lateral view showing open reduction and internal fixation performed using standard technique. (d) X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior view showing patient mobilized weight bearing at 6 weeks postoperative. This resulted in failure of fixation requiring removal of metal work and (e and f) X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior and lateral views showing infected nonunion of the fracture
Figure 4
Figure 4
X-ray of ankle joint anteroposterior view showing multiple syndesmotic screws for internal fixation of ankle fracture in a diabetic patient
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Donken CC, Al-Khateeb H, Verhofstad MH, van Laarhoven CJ. Surgical versus conservative interventions for treating ankle fractures in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;8:CD008470. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Court-Brown CM, McBirnie J, Wilson G. Adult ankle fractures: An increasing problem? Acta Orthop Scand. 1998;69:43–7. - PubMed
    1. Salai M, Dudkiewicz I, Novikov I, Amit Y, Chechick A. The epidemic of ankle fractures in the elderly: Is surgical treatment warranted? Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2000;120:511–3. - PubMed
    1. Kannus P, Palvanen M, Niemi S, Parkkari J, Järvinen M. Increasing number and incidence of low-trauma ankle fractures in elderly people: Finnish statistics during 1970-2000 and projections for the future. Bone. 2002;31:430–3. - PubMed
    1. Pott P. London: Hawes, Clarke, Collins; 1768. Some Few General Remarks on Fractures and Dislocations. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources