Background: Suture-button (SB) fixation has been widely performed for syndesmosis injuries, but it has been reported unstable in some biomechanical studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of the syndesmosis using SB fixation with anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament augmentation using suture-tape (ST).
Methods: Eight normal fresh-frozen cadaveric legs were used. After initial tests of intact and injured models, SB fixation, SB fixation with ST augmentation, ST augmentation alone, and screw fixation were performed sequentially for each specimen. Loading tests stimulating dorsiflexion, inversion, and external rotation of the ankle joint were performed for each model. The tibiofibular diastasis (TFD) and the fibular rotational angle related to the tibia (FRA) were measured using a magnetic tracking system.
Findings: In the injured model, both TFD and FRA increased significantly compared with the intact model in all directions (P < .05). In the SB fixation model, TFD and FRA generally showed significant increases (P < .05, except for TFD in external rotation). In the SB fixation with ST augmentation model and ST augmentation alone, TFD and FRA were not significantly different compared with the intact model (P > .05). In the screw fixation model, FRA with inversion force at the ankle was significantly decreased compared with the intact model (P = .027).
Interpretation: SB fixation alone did not provide stability of the syndesmosis, and screw fixation became too rigid compared with the intact model. Using ST augmentation achieved dynamic stability similar to the intact model for syndesmotic injuries.
Keywords: Anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament; Augmentation; Biomechanics; Suture-button; Suture-tape; Syndesmosis.
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