Functional outcome of fusion versus ligament reconstruction in patients with a syndesmosis injury: A narrative review

Sai-Kit Lim; Yui-Chung Ho; Samuel Ka-Kin Ling; Patrick Shu-Hang Yung

doi:10.1016/j.asmart.2021.05.002

Functional outcome of fusion versus ligament reconstruction in patients with a syndesmosis injury: A narrative review

Asia Pac J Sports Med Arthrosc Rehabil Technol. 2021 Jun 12:25:53-59. doi: 10.1016/j.asmart.2021.05.002. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Authors

Sai-Kit Lim¹, Yui-Chung Ho¹, Samuel Ka-Kin Ling¹, Patrick Shu-Hang Yung¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong.

Abstract

Injury to distal tibiofibular syndesmosis is commonly associated with ankle fractures. The surgical treatment especially in isolated chronic syndesmosis instability is still debated. This article has reviewed literature identified from PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane from year 2000 onwards and compared the functional outcomes between syndesmosis fusion and ligament reconstruction based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Eighteen studies were included. All the included papers described a good-to-excellent post-operative functional outcome without major complications. No significant difference between the two surgical interventions could be concluded. Further studies of better quality shall be conducted in the future.

Keywords: AITFL; Ankle; Arthrodesis; Fusion; Ligament reconstruction; Syndesmosis.

Publication types

Review