Surgical versus Conservative Management of Weber B Fibular Fractures

Abstract

Category: Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Fibular fractures are one of the most common traumatic injuries treated by orthopaedic surgeons. These fractures range from stable to unstable, and accordingly may be treated conservatively with immobilization or operatively with open reduction and internal fixation. Unstable Weber classification type B fibula fractures are at the level of the syndesmosis. When stressed, they show an increased medial clear space widening. Recent studies have suggested these fractures may be treated non-operatively. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature to determine whether operative and non-operative management of Weber B fractures exhibit any difference in functional outcomes. Methods: For this study, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRIMSA) guidelines were followed. A systematic review of the literature was performed on the Medline (PubMed), Ovid, and Embase databases in May 2017. Only studies analyzing surgical and non-surgical management of Weber B fibular fractures were included. A meta-analysis was performed to pool difference of the mean for functional outcome scores (Olerud Molander Ankle [OMA] score, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Score [AOFAS], Visual Analogue Scale [VAS], and Short-form 36 [SF36] questionnaire) of the ankles of patients who underwent surgical and non-surgical management. Descriptive, quantitative, and qualitative data were extracted and analyzed using Comprehensive meta-analysis software and SPSS 21. Random effect model used to pool the difference of the mean of the outcomes and I2 to assess the heterogeneity. Results: Of the 823 articles identified, four studies met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. A total of 383 unstable Weber type B fibular fractures were identified, with 198 treated operatively and 161 treated non-operatively. There were 158 (41.2%) male and 225 (58.8%) female patients, who averaged 45.6 years of age (Table). Mean follow up was 27.3 months. The pooled mean difference (SMD) for OMA functional score did not show any statistically significant difference between surgical and non-surgical management (SMD = 12.364 [95% CI: -4.684, 29.413]; I2 = 91.93%), although each single paper highlighted the superiority of non-surgical management. Other functional scores could not be pooled because they were not consistently reported within the included studies. Conclusion: The early literature suggests that there is no difference in the clinical outcomes of unstable Weber B fractures, whether they are treated operatively or non-operatively. Longer-term studies are warranted to examine the clinical outcomes of patients managed non-operatively.