The Risk Factors Associated with Nonunion after Surgical Treatment for Distal Fibular Fractures

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiologic outcomes of distal fibular fractures and to analyze the risk factors associated with nonunion. Materials and Methods Between January 2009 and March 2016, 13 patients who had final nonunion with ankle fracture were included. In the control group, 370 patients who had undergone bony union and removed metal implants were included. All patients underwent the same surgical procedure and had the same treatment method, ultimately achieving satisfactory open reduction results with less than 2 mm fracture gap. Surgical treatment of fracture was considered to have the same effect on nonunion, and factors that might be associated with nonunion were evaluated. SPSS ver. 13.0 (SPSS Inc., USA) was used for all statistical analyses. Pearson's chi-square test and multi-variate regression analysis were performed to determine the factors affecting nonunion of distal fibular fracture. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and relative risk was assessed. Results The mean age of 13 patients was 46.9 years (range, 16∼57 years); there were 8 men and 5 women. Among the 13 patients with nonunion, atrophic was the most common (12 cases). The association between the injury mechanism and the Lauge-Hansen classification and diabetes mellitus was not statistically significant. Distal fibular fractures with tibia shaft fracture (p=0.015) and Danis-Weber type C fracture (p=0.023), open fracture (p=0.011), and smoking (p=0.023) were significantly associated with nonunion. Conclusion In this study, the combined injury of the ipsilateral tibia shaft fracture, open fracture, and Danis-Weber type C fracture may increase the possibility of nonunion. Therefore, caution is advised to prevent nonunion.