Comparison of clinical outcomes in acute ankle fracture open reduction internal fixation with and without ankle arthroscopy.

Abstract

This study aims to compare intra-articular findings and clinical outcomes between patients undergoing traditional open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) and those undergoing arthroscopically assisted ORIF (AAORIF) for ankle fractures. By evaluating postoperative pain, functional recovery, and complications we seek to determine the role of Arthroscopy in optimizing outcomes. A retrospective study was conducted reviewing 83 patients who underwent ankle fracture ORIF: 34 with arthroscopy and 49 without. We documented intra-articular pathologies and evaluated variables such as tourniquet time, complications, non-weightbearing (NWB) duration, partial weightbearing (PWB), full weightbearing (FWB), time to physical therapy, return to normal shoe gear, and prescribed pain medication. The arthroscopy cohort had an average tourniquet time of 64 minutes, 9 minutes longer than the non-arthroscopy cohort (55 minutes). Arthroscopy revealed full-thickness osteochondral lesions in 44 % of patients (15/34), loose bodies in 18 % (6/34), and partial-thickness cartilage injuries in 35 % (12/34). No statistically significant differences were found between the AAORIF and ORIF groups in transitioning to PWB (42.09 vs. 40.01 days), FWB (60.11 vs. 58.69 days), starting physical therapy (50.53 vs. 49.12 days), or returning to normal shoe gear (60.11 vs. 60.84 days). Pain medication usage was slightly lower in the AAORIF group (44.47 vs. 46.16 MME/day), though not statistically significant. Ankle arthroscopy shows promise with fewer delayed unions without statistical significance and no significant increase in operative time. Though short-term benefits for pain or activity return are unclear, its non-inferiority to ORIF and potential for optimizing outcomes in specific cases justify further investigation into its clinical value.