Functional Syndesmotic Widening: A Case Report and Literature Review

Injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis can be a diagnostic challenge in the absence of advanced imaging. We report a case of a 21-year-old male patient who sustained an ankle injury and demonstrated radiological evidence of syndesmosis widening on plain radiographs. He underwent endobutton fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 6; p. e63531
Main Authors Ong, Samuel Sing Li, Kwek, Ernest Beng Kee
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cureus Inc 30.06.2024
Cureus
Subjects
Ankle
Case reports
Fractures
Ligaments
Magnetic resonance imaging
Orthopedics
Sports Medicine
Ultrasonic imaging
high ankle sprain
tibiofibular overlap
ankle sprain
functional syndesmotic widening
syndesmosis injury
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Summary:Injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis can be a diagnostic challenge in the absence of advanced imaging. We report a case of a 21-year-old male patient who sustained an ankle injury and demonstrated radiological evidence of syndesmosis widening on plain radiographs. He underwent endobutton fixation which resulted in anterior subluxation of the talus and difficulty in ankle dorsiflexion. This is the first case report in the literature of a functional syndesmotic widening and the subsequent sequelae when subjected to a stabilisation procedure. The previously reported risk factors were inconsistent with our patient's demographics of a young, previously obese adult. We postulate that his childhood morbid obesity likely contributed to the functional widening of his ankle syndesmosis.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-2
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ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.63531