Comparison of tendon suture fixation and cortical screw fixation for treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury: A case-control study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of tendon suture fixation versus cortical screw fixation for the treatment of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury. This study recruited 42 patients with Danis-Weber type B, C1 and C2 fractures concomitant with lower tibiofibular syndesmosis injury, who were randomly assigned to 2 groups according to treatment with cortical screw fixation (n=21) and tendon suture fixation (n=21). Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, time to full weight-bearing activity, medical cost, ankle function, and ankle pain were compared between the 2 groups.The operation time was significantly less with cortical screw fixation (57.1±5.3min) than with tendon suture fixation (63.3±6.3min; p=0.01), but there was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss. The time until full weight-bearing was possible was significantly longer after cortical screw fixation (10.9±2.7 weeks) than after tendon suture fixation (7.1±1.9 weeks; P