Postoperative Outcomes in Malleolar Fractures Fixed With a 3.5-mm Locking Compression Plate Hook Plate

• Published in: Orthopedics (Thorofare, N.J.) Vol. 46; no. 6; pp. 1 - 344
• Main Authors: Aziz, Hadi, Trout, Sally M, Jethanandani, Rishabh, Bub, Christine D, Collins, Lewis, Goldman, Ariel T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Slack, Inc 01.11.2023; SLACK INCORPORATED
• Subjects: Analysis; Ankle; Antibiotics; Arthritis; Care and treatment; Complications and side effects; Debridement; Fractures; Gangrene; Injuries; Internal fixation in fractures; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Orthopedics; Osteoarthritis; Patient outcomes; Patients; Postoperative period; Range of motion; Surgeons; Surgical outcomes; Surgical site infections; Tomography; Transplants & implants; Wound dehiscence; United States
• ISSN: 0147-7447; 1938-2367
• DOI: 10.3928/01477447-20230407-05

Ankle fractures are among the most common types of fractures seen in the United States. Few studies have analyzed the use of a locking compression plate (LCP) hook plate in the fixation of malleolar fractures. The goal of this study was to analyze postoperative outcomes in malleolar fractures fixed with a 3.5-mm LCP hook plate. A cohort of 74 patients with ankle fractures treated operatively with hook plates between 2011 and 2021 by a single orthopedic surgeon was retrospectively reviewed. Time to union, duration of non-weight bearing, final range of motion, postoperative complications, demographics, and comorbidities were recorded. A total of 66 patients fulfilled our inclusion criteria. There were 5 isolated medial malleolar, 34 bimalleolar, and 27 trimalleolar fractures. There were 46 women and 20 men with a mean age of 60.9±18.9 years. Fourteen patients had diabetes, 27 had osteoporosis, and 4 were current or former tobacco users. All patients achieved union, with a mean time to union of 10.9±5.3 weeks. The mean time to weight bearing was 50.2±18.4 days. The mean length of follow-up was 8.1±5.6 months. At final follow-up, mean dorsiflexion was 9.9°±4.3° and mean plantarflexion was 14.1°±5.1°. Six patients experienced postoperative complications such as surgical site infections and posttraumatic osteoarthritis. This study demonstrates that the use of a 3.5-mm LCP hook plate in the operative fixation of malleolar fractures has a high rate of union while maintaining low rates of postoperative complications. [ . 202x;4x(x):xx-xx.].