Tibial lengthening: does the fibula migrate?

A retrospective study of 32 patients who underwent tibial lengthening was performed in order to establish the need for distal tibio-fibular fixation. In 16 patients stabilization of the inferior tibio-fibular joint was carried out and in the other 16 no stabilization was performed. Three established and one new radiographic index of the tibio-fibular relationship at the ankle were used to assess proximal fibular migration. All patients showed proximal migration of the distal fibula, but those without stabilization demonstrated marked migration of the fibula associated with a valgus tendency. The difference between the groups was statistically significant ( <0.001), confirming the need for fibular fixation.