Ankle Fracture Plating: A Multicenter Randomized Trial Comparing Lateral and Antiglide Plating in Displaced Lateral Malleolus Fractures

Detailed Summary

The role of operative fixation of unstable, displaced lateral malleolus fractures is well-established (Mayer, Mak, and Yablon). However, the optimal type of fixation remains the subject of debate. Lag screw fixation alone is only appropriate for long oblique fractures in younger patients (Tornetta). For all other patients, the choices for fibular stabilization most commonly involve the use of plates and screws which can be placed on either the lateral or posterior side of the bone, with or without lag screws. Lateral plating remains the most popular option, but since the description of posterior plating in 1982 (Brunner), reports in the literature have demonstrated some advantages of posterior over lateral plating (Ostrum, Treadwell, Winkler, and Wissing) . These advantages include less dissection, less palpable hardware, and decreased likelihood of intra-articular screw placement. However, there is only a single retrospective study in the published literature directly comparing these two methods (Lamontagne).

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