Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37038119›Full record

ArticleBMC surgery2023

Comparison the treatment of anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament anatomical repair and syndesmosis screw fixation for syndesmotic injuries in ankle fracture.

Xuping Lin, Chengquan Tu, Weihuang Lin, Weina Xie, Xiaowei Guo, Qingjun Liu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. The risk factors attributing to the avulsion fracture of anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) in surgically treated ankle fractures.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Xuping Lin *Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, 363000, Fujian Province, China.
Chengquan Tu *Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, 363000, Fujian Province, China.
Weihuang Lin *Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Xiamen Haicang Hospital, Xiamen, 361100, China.
Weina XieDepartment of Anesthesiology, The Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, 363000, China.
Xiaowei GuoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, The Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, 363000, Fujian Province, China.
Qingjun LiuDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, The Affiliated Dongnan Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou, 363000, Fujian Province, China. lqjun175@163.com.
Xiamen University · CNXiamen Chang Gung Hospital · CNXiamen University of Technology · CN

Funding

The 2021 Special Program on Innovation and Generation of Military Health Support Capabilities 21wq043
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe fixation method of syndesmotic injuries in ankle fractures remains controversial. The goal of the study was to compare radiographic and clinical outcomes between anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) anatomical repair with syndesmosis screw fixation in syndesmotic injuries.

methodsWe analyzed 62 patients who were treated with AITFL anatomical repair or syndesmosis screw fixation for syndesmotic injuries in an advanced teaching hospital between March 2016 and March 2019. Fixation was performed with AITFL anatomical repair in 30 patients (AAR group) and syndesmosis screw in 32 patients (SS group). Radiographic evaluations were the differences in mean anterior and posterior (A difference and P difference) tibiofibular distance between injured and uninjured ankle computed tomography (CT) scan at 6 months postoperatively. Clinical evaluation of patients was done using the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Score, the Olerud-Molander Ankle (OMA) score and visual analogue scale (VAS) score at 1, 3, 6 months and 1, 2 years postoperatively.

resultsThe A difference and P difference on CT was no differences (1.6 ± 0.8 mm, 1.3 ± 0.7 mm vs. 1.5 ± 0.7 mm, 1.2 ± 0.7 mm) between the two groups (All of P > 0.05). The AAR group had higher mean AOFAS score (65.6 ± 5.9, 82.3 ± 4.2, 87.6 ± 5.6 vs. 61.8 ± 5.2, 79.1 ± 4.0, 83.8 ± 4.9; P = 0.008, 0.003, 0.007) and higher mean OMA score (45.7 ± 8.7, 79.2 ± 6.5, 84.1 ± 5.3 vs. 40.4 ± 7.3, 74.8 ± 6.3, 80.3 ± 5.8; P = 0.012, 0.009, 0.010)) at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The AAR group had lower mean VAS scores (2.6 ± 1.2, 1.7 ± 0.7 vs. 3.4 ± 1.2, 2.2 ± 1.1; P = 0.018, 0.038) at 1 and 3 months postoperatively.

conclusionsThe results of this study suggest that the AITFL anatomical repair technique could effectively improve ankle function during daily activity. Therefore, AITFL anatomical repair technique is expected to become a better fixation method for syndesmotic injuries.

Indexed as

Ankle FracturesAnkle InjuriesLateral Ligament, AnkleBone ScrewsFracture Fixation, InternalHumansTreatment OutcomeAnkle fractureLigament anatomical repairOutcome studiesSyndesmosis screwSyndesmotic injuries

Identifiers

PMID37038119
PMCPMC10084683
OpenAlexW4363673830

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.