Presentation
Left ankle pain and swelling after fall.
Patient Data
Left lateral malleolus with spiral fracture. No widening of the space between the medial malleolus and talar dome, and tibiofibular syndesmosis seems intact.
Case Discussion
The ankle joint stability following a fracture, is a major determinant when deciding the best and most adequate therapy for each patient. Stable ankle fractures (such as the majority of Weber A and B fractures) have great prognosis and can be treated conservatively. Whereas other fracture patterns are inherently unstable, and are widely treated surgically (for example, Weber C fractures). Hence, defining the stability of ankle fracture is of utmost importance. Fortunately, the fracture of the patient presented above bore signs of a stable fracture and thus, conservative treatment was indicated for the patient.
Contributed by Dr. Guilherme Pioli Resende M.D. and Dr. Marcello Antônio de Rezende Basilio M.D.