Operative Treatment of Tongue Type Intra-articular Calcaneal Fractures: Comparison of the Open Reduction and Essex-Lopresti Technique / 대한족부족관절학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To analyze the clinical and radiological results of operative treatment in patients with tongue type intra-articular calcaneal fracture, and to compare the open reduction and Essex-Lopresti technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined a consecutive series of 42 patients who received surgical treatment for tongue type calcaneal fracture (24 cases of the open reduction and 18 cases of the Essex-Lopresti technique) and the postoperative data was compared with a minimum 1 year follow-up. The clinical outcome was analyzed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) hindfoot scale and Salama's criteria. The preoperative, postoperative, and last follow-up changes in the Bohler angle was radiologically analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the clinical and radiological results at the last follow-up. However, for the Sander's type 3 and 4 fractures, the open reduction group showed more improvement of AOFAS score and less reduction loss in the Bohler angle. CONCLUSION: Although the clinical results were good irrespective of surgical technique, the open reduction and internal fixation can improve clinical outcome and reduce the reduction loss as compared with the Essex-Lopresti technique in the comminuted tongue type calcaneal fracture.