Syndesmotic Injury and Fixation in Supination-External (SE) Ankle Fractures

May 13, 2016 updated by: Harri Pakarinen, University of Oulu

Syndesmotic Injury and Fixation in SE Ankle Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Study

The aim of our study was to determine whether transfixation of unstable syndesmosis is necessary in supination-external rotation type ankle fractures. Our hypothesis was that syndesmotic ligaments heal at the proper length after malleolar reduction and that syndesmotic transfixation is not needed in supination-external rotation fracture types.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

A prospective randomized study comparing syndesmotic transfixation to no fixation in AO/OTA Weber B-type ankle fractures was designed. To show a clinically significant difference (Olerud-Molander ankle score 20%, standard deviation (SD) 24 points, from our previous study) between the groups, the sample size was estimated (α=0.05, β=0.2, 20% drop out) to be 30 patients per group.

All skeletally mature patients (≥16 years old) with a unilateral Lauge-Hansen supination-external rotation type 4 ankle fractures treated within one week after injury at our hospital were considered eligible for the present study. Exclusion criteria were bilateral ankle fractures, pathologic fractures, concomitant tibial shaft fractures, previous significant injury or a fracture of either ankle, significant peripheral neuropathy, soft tissue infection in the region on either injured ankle, or inability to complete the study protocol.

After bony fixation, the 7.5-Nm standardized external rotation (ER) stress test for both ankles was performed under fluoroscopy. A positive stress examination was defined as a difference of more than 2 mm side-to-side in the tibiotalar or tibiofibular clear spaces on mortise radiographs. If the stress test was positive, the patient was randomized to either syndesmotic transfixation with 3.5-mm tricortical screws or no syndesmotic fixation.

Clinical outcome was assessed using the Olerud-Molander scoring system, RAND 36-Item Health Survey, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure pain and function after a minimum 1-year of follow-up.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

140

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Finland
      • Oulu, Finland, 90650
        • Oulu University Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All skeletally mature patients (≥16 years old) with a unilateral Lauge-Hansen supination-external rotation type 4 ankle fractures treated within one week after injury at our hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Bilateral ankle fractures, pathologic fractures, concomitant tibial shaft fractures, previous significant injury or a fracture of either ankle, significant peripheral neuropathy, soft tissue infection in the region on either injured ankle, or inability to complete the study protocol.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: fixation
Syndesmosis fixation with one 3.5mm fully threaded screw
Procedure: fixation
Syndesmosis fixation with one 3.5mm fully threaded three cortical screw
Active Comparator: no fixation
No syndesmosis fixation
Procedure: no fixation
No syndesmosis fixation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Olerud-Molander score
Time Frame: minimum one year
minimum one year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Oulu

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Harri J Pakarinen, MD, Oulu University Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 2, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 3, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

November 4, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 16, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2016

Last Verified

May 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • SE4rand1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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