Arthroscopic assisted fixation of juvenile intra-articular epiphyseal ankle fractures.

The purpose of this study was to present the long-term follow-up of a case series of arthroscopically assisted fixation of juvenile intraarticular epiphyseal ankle fractures. The functional and radiographic outcomes of 6 patients with a range of follow-up of 1 to 5 years were evaluated. Five of the 6 patients had triplane injuries, whereas the remaining patient sustained a juvenile Tillaux fracture. All of the patients returned to full activity within 14 weeks of surgery, and none of the patients had any restriction in the ankle range of motion at the time of last follow-up. The results of this small series of patients suggest that arthroscopic-assisted, percutaneous fixation of intraarticular juvenile epiphyseal ankle fractures is an effective, less invasive surgical technique. Several surgical maneuvers that are helpful in the consistent execution of this technique are also mentioned.