Kirschner Wire Internal Fixation of the Medial Tibiotalar Joint for Indirect Repair of Deltoid Ligament Injury: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Objective: Ankle joint fractures are often accompanied by medial deltoid ligament rupture. There is controversy over whether or how to treat deltoid ligament rupture. This study was aimed to explore the feasibility of repairing the medial deltoid ligament using Kirschner wire internal fixation of the medial tibiotalar joint combined with external fixation.Methods: Forty-six patients with ankle fractures involving deltoid ligament rupture, treated between October 2012 and February 2021, were retrospectively evaluated. Twenty-five patients were treated with a Kirschner wire to fix the tibiotalar joint and indirectly repair the deltoid ligament as the repaired group. Twenty-one patients underwent reduction and fixation of internal and external malleolus fractures, and the deltoid ligament was not repaired in the unrepaired group. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, visual analog scale (VAS), Medical Outcomes Short Form 36-item questionnaire score (SF-36), and Medial clear space perpendicular (preoperative, postoperative, final follow-up) were used for functional evaluations and reduction assessments. Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the differences between the groups.Results: The follow-up time was 13-112 months with a mean of 59.32 months for the repaired group and 11-94 months with a mean of 53.43 months for the unrepaired group. There was no significant difference in the operative time or intraoperative blood loss between the two groups (p > 0.05). At the last follow-up, the AOFAS ankle-hindfoot and SF-36 scores of the repaired group were significantly higher than those of the non-repaired group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the VAS pain score was significantly lower and the Medial clear space perpendicular was significantly narrower in the repaired group than that in the unrepaired group.Conclusion: Tibiotalar joint fixation using Kirschner wires is a simple and effective technique that can indirectly reduce and repair the deltoid ligament and stabilize the ankle.