The Journal of foot and ankle surgery : official publication of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Medial Malleolar Fracture Healing at 8 Weeks After Open Reduction Internal Fixation Versus Percutaneous Fixation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Unstable medial malleolar fractures are treated with either standard open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) or a percutaneous approach. The percutaneous approach avoids the potentially excessive soft tissue dissection associated with an open approach but can also result in inadequate anatomic reduction. No studies have compared the incidence of radiographic healing of medial malleolar fractures between an open approach and percutaneous fixation. ⋯ Patients who underwent ORIF were 5 times more likely to have a healed fracture at 8 weeks than were patients who had undergone PSF (p < .001). Compared with standard ORIF, PSF of medial malleolar fractures leads to an increased risk of an unhealed fracture at 8 weeks. This was likely due to a combination of soft tissue interposition within the fracture site and inadequate fluoroscopic reliability, leading to poor anatomic reduction and inaccurate fixation.
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Randomized controlled trials are viewed as the optimal study design. In this commentary, we explore the strength of this design and its complexity. We also discuss some situations in which these trials are not possible, or not ethical, or not economical. ⋯ Thus, we consider the tools available to address that bias. Specifically, we examine matching and introduce and explore a new tool: propensity score matching. This tool allows us to group subjects according to their propensity to be in a particular treatment group and, in so doing, to account for the indication bias.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of Four Methods for Percutaneous Achilles Tendon Lengthening: A Cadaveric Study.
Percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening can result in Achilles tendon rupture. This complication has been controversially linked to torsion effects in the Achilles tendon. Routine percutaneous triple-hemisection techniques (group A), rotary triple-hemisection (group B), distal double-hemisection (group C), and proximal double-hemisection (group D) were compared in cadaveric specimens to provide insights into the mechanism of uneven incision lengthening and inadvertent Achilles tendon rupture. ⋯ Uneven incision lengthening was observed with the routine percutaneous triple-hemisection and distal double-hemisection techniques. Achilles tendon torsion affected the surgical outcomes. Rotary triple-hemisection and proximal double-hemisection techniques resulted in more even extension of the incisions and achieved a greater increase in the degree of maximum ankle joint dorsiflexion.
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Comparative Study
Early Protected Weightbearing After Ankle Fractures in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus.
The traditional protocol for treatment after ankle fracture in the diabetic patient involves a period of prolonged non-weightbearing to reduce the incidence of complications. The goal of the present study was to identify the risk factors and complications associated with early protected weightbearing after closed ankle fractures in patients with diabetes. The data from 73 diabetic patients with operatively and nonoperatively treated ankle fractures were retrospectively reviewed. ⋯ No statistically significant differences were identified according to hemoglobin A1c, the presence of peripheral neuropathy, smoking status, fracture type, or the presence of end-stage renal disease. The results of the present study suggest that early protected weightbearing after closed ankle fractures in diabetic patients is fairly safe, with an acceptable complication rate. However, the patients selected for early weightbearing had low comorbidity profiles, which might have accounted, in part, for the low complication rate.
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Comparative Study
Need for Bone Grafts in the Surgical Treatment of Displaced Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures.
Controversy is ongoing regarding the use of bone grafts to fill cavities that occur with collapse of the posterior facet in the joint and for repair of the calcaneal height with plating. The present study included 40 patients with 43 displaced intra-articular calcaneal fractures treated with open reduction and internal fixation from March 2009 to November 2013. In the present case-control study, the patients were separated into 2 groups: group A received an allograft (20 patients, 22 calcaneal fractures) and group B did not (20 patients, 21 calcaneal fractures). ⋯ The comparisons between the 2 groups showed a loss of Böhler's angle and loss of calcaneal height that was significantly greater in group B (p < .001). No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in the AOFAS ankle hindfoot scale scores (p > .05). In conclusion, although no differences were found in the clinical results between the 2 groups, more satisfactory radiologic results were obtained in group A, in which bone grafts were used.