Comparison of Loop Plate Technique and Traditional Screw Internal Fixation in the Treatment of Ankle Fracture with Distal Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injuries
DOU Huili
FU Wei
SHAN Quanqi
HUANG Pengcheng
XIAO Likang
Abstract：Objective To compare the effect of loop plate technique and conventional screw internal fixation in the treatment of ankle fracture with distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries.Methods A total of 95 patients with ankle fracture with distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries in Shangqiu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2021 to October 2022 were selected and divided into traditional screw group(46 cases)and ansa plate group(49 cases)according to different surgical fixation methods.Open reduction and internal fixation were performed in both groups.The loop plate group was reconstructed with loop plate,and the conventional screw group was reconstructed with cortical bone screw.Perioperative indexes and postoperative complications of the two groups were analyzed.Postoperative ankle function was assessed using the American orthopedic foot and ankle society(AOFAS)ankle-posterior foot score.The changes of serum transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),bone alkaline phosphatase(BALP)and osteocalcin(OC)in the two groups before and after operation were compared.Results The operation was successfully completed in both groups.During the study,2 cases fell out in the group with loop plate,including 47 cases.In the traditional screw group,3 cases fell off,1 case withdrew from the study due to personal factors,and 42 cases were included.The fracture healing time in the loop plate group was shorter than that in the conventional screw group(P＜0.05).AOFAS ankle-posterior foot scores in two groups at 3,6,12 months after surgery were higher than those in 1 month after surgery(P＜0.05),and the scores in 3 months and 6 months after surgery with ansa plate group were higher than those in traditional screw group(P＜0.05),but there was no statistical significance in the scores in two groups at 12 months after surgery(P＞0.05).The serum levels of TGF-β1,BALP and OC in two groups were higher than those before surgery 1 month after surgery(P＜0.05),and the levels of these serum factors in the plate with loop group were higher than those in the traditional screw group(P＜0.05).The incidence of postoperative complications in the loop plate group was lower than that in the conventional screw group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Open reduction and internal fixation for patients with ankle fracture combined with distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries.Compared with traditional screw internal fixation,internal fixation with loop plate can shorten the healing time of fracture,reduce the incidence of postoperative complications,and improve the short-term bone growth factor regulation and ankle function better.
Keywords：ankle fracturedistal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuriesloop plate techniquecortical bone screwsbone growth factorankle function
Publication Date：2025-11-13
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：4( 3921-3924 )