Operative treatment of isolated epiphyseal fracture of the distal fibula: 1 case report and literature review

TL;DR

This paper reports a rare case of a displaced ankle fracture in an adolescent requiring surgery, with a unique combination of injuries not previously documented.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel case of an isolated distal fibular epiphyseal fracture with specific soft tissue injuries not previously reported.

Findings

Closed reduction failed for the Salter-Harris type II fracture, necessitating open surgery.

The injury involved avulsion of the periosteum and superior peroneal retinaculum, with exposed peroneal tendons.

This specific combination of injuries has not been previously documented in the literature.

Abstract

Pediatric ankle injuries are common; ankle epiphyseal fractures are also common in children. But isolated distal epiphyseal fibular fractures of the distal fibula are clinically rare. We describe one unusual case of an adolescent with a completely displaced Salter-Harris type II distal fibular epiphyseal fracture. The attempt of closed reduction failed, and the patient required open reduction and internal fixation. The localized periosteum and the superior peroneal retinaculum were avulsed from the distal fibular metaphysis, with the peroneal tendons underneath exposed but no obvious subluxation. To the best of our knowledge, this combination of injuries has not been previously reported.

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