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Obesity may impact failure after treatment of syndesmotic injury
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Researchers in this study found obese patients were 12 times more likely to have a loss of reduction after treatment for syndesmotic injury compared to nonobese patients.
“There is a strong association between obesity and loss of reduction after operative treatment of the syndesmosis,” Elliot S. Mendelsohn, MD, and colleagues wrote in the study abstract.
He added, “Further research is warranted to determine if a stronger mechanical construct or more conservative postoperative protocol can reduce the risk of loss of reduction in obese patients who sustain a syndesmotic injury.”
After evaluating postoperative failure of 213 patients who underwent operative treatment for a displaced syndesmotic injury using 3.5-mm and 4.5-mm screws, Mendelsohn and colleagues found 15% of patients in the obese group had a fixation failure compared to 1.8% in the nonobese group, according to the abstract. They noted that screw caliber, screw number, cortices number, smoking status or diabetes mellitus were not predictors of loss of reduction.
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