Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40160853›Full record

ArticleFoot & ankle orthopaedics2025

Ligamentous Injuries in Stable Ankle Fractures: An MRI-Based Study.

Alex N Karanja, Albert Ho-Huynh, Tom Walsh, Simon R Platt

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Foot & ankle orthopaedics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  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
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Alex N KaranjaGold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7236-8352
Albert Ho-HuynhGold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Tom WalshGold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3925-2075
Simon R PlattGold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2391-7749

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Ankle fractures are common orthopaedic injuries, and their management is primarily determined by fracture stability. The Lauge-Hansen classification system categorizes fractures according to mechanism of injury and ligaments involved. Supination external rotation (SER) type 2 fractures correspond to stable weber B fractures and are traditionally treated nonoperatively, whereas SER 3 and SER 4 fractures, characterized by syndesmosis disruption, typically require surgical intervention. We hypothesize that some apparently stable injuries may involve additional structures, challenging the conventional treatment approach. This study aims to determine the prevalence of SER 3 and SER 4 ankle injuries among radiographically stable SER 2 fractures. Method: The study used baseline data from a longitudinal cohort conducted at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS). Patients attending the GCHHS fracture clinic with radiographically stable SER 2 fractures were invited to participate. Those meeting the eligibility criteria underwent ankle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the integrity of syndesmotic and ankle ligaments. Results: Fifty-six participants were recruited, 38 (68%) female and 18 (32%) male, with a mean age of 47.2 years. All had stable syndesmoses on radiographic assessment and diagnosed with stable SER 2 ankle fractures. MRI scans revealed that 71% (n = 40) met the criteria for SER 2 injuries, 25% (n = 14) for SER 3 injuries with complete ruptures of posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (PITFL), and 4% (n = 2) for SER 4 injuries with PITFL and deltoid ligament (DL) ruptures. These results challenge the assumption that radiographically stable SER 2 fractures are consistently stable in terms of additional structures involved. Conclusion: The study highlights that a considerable proportion of seemingly stable ankle fractures involve more structures than previously thought. This suggests the management of SER 3 and SER 4 injuries could include nonoperative treatment. Level of Evidence: Level III, cohort study.

Indexed as

ankle fracturesdistal fibular fracturesLauge-Hansen classificationMRIsyndesmosis

Identifiers

PMID40160853
PMCPMC11954532

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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.