• OBJECTIVE
    • To explore short-term clinical effect of surgical treatment for ankle fracture with complete rupture of deltoid ligament in young and middle-aged patients.
  • METHODS
    • From January 2016 to March 2019, 21 young and middle-aged patients with ankle joint fracture and complete rupture of the deltoid ligament were treated with internal fixation and repair of the medial deltoid ligament, including 16 males and 5 females, aged from 21 to 52 years old with an average of (38.6±7.3) years old, the time from injury to operation ranged from 1 to 7 days with an average of (3.8±1.5) days. Fracture healing time and complications were observed, changes of medial malleolus clearance before and after operation were compared, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score wasused to evaluate function of ankle joint at 18 months after operation.
  • RESULTS
    • Twenty-one patients were followed up from 18 to 26 months with an average of (21.7±1.2) months. The incisions were healed at stageⅠ, and fracture healing time ranged from 8 to 12 weeks with an average of (9.5±1.6) weeks. No wound infection, failure of internal fixation, and nerve injury occurred. Medial malleoius space decreased from (5.83±0.32) mm before operation to (2.69±0.25) mm after operation. Postoperative AOFAS score at 18 months was 91.43±4.14, 14 patients got excellent results, 6 good and 1 fair.
  • CONCLUSION
    • On the basis of stable fixation of fracture, repair of deltoid ligament could help restoring the medial anatomy of ankle joint in young and middle-aged patients, and could achieve good short term clinical effect.