Original ResearchDoes the Arthrex TightRope® Provide Maintenance of the Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis? A 2-year Follow-up of 64 TightRopes® in 37 Patients
Section snippets
Patients and Methods
A review of 37 patients who had sustained distal tibiofibular disruption from 2007 to 2011 was performed. Diabetic and neuropathic patients were excluded from the present study. The medical charts were reviewed for the following parameters: gender, age, surgical limb, length of follow-up, interval to weightbearing, complications, postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot-ankle score, fracture pattern, number of TightRopes® used per patient, and number of
Results
A total of 37 patients with 64 TightRopes® placed met the inclusion criteria of preoperative radiographic evidence confirmed by intraoperative syndesmotic instability 42, 43. The radiographic criteria consisted of decreased TFO and an increase in the MCS and TFCS. The fracture patterns identified were as follows: purely syndesmotic injuries in 3 (8%), Weber B fractures in 7 (18%), Weber C fractures in 3 (8%), bimalleolar fractures in 10 (27%), trimalleolar fractures in 9 (24%), Maisonneuve
Discussion
Recently, DeGroot et al (15) reported on 24 patients with syndesmotic compromise that was fixated with an interosseous suture endobutton. The mean follow-up period was 20 months. The mean AOFAS score was 94. Included in their study was a radiographic analysis of the preoperative, immediately postoperative, and final postoperative images. The TFCS, TFO, and MCS were compared for changes within the syndesmosis. They reported an increase of 0.1 to 0.2 mm from the immediate to the final follow-up
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Financial Disclosure: Dr Cottom is a paid consultant for Arthrex, Inc., Naples, FL. Arthrex had no role in the design, data collection, or writing of this paper.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.