A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING THE FIBULAR NAIL TO STANDARD OPEN REDUCTION INTERNAL FIXATION FOR FIXATION OF ANKLE FRACTURES IN PATIENTS UNDER 65 YEARS OF AGE

We have previously reported that fibular nailing in the elderly is associated with a significantly reduced complication rate and greater cost-effectiveness when compared to ORIF. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of fibular nailing to ORIF in patients under the age of 65.100 patients aged 18 to 64 were randomly allocated between groups. Outcomes assessed over two years post-operatively included: development of wound complications or radiographic arthritis, the accuracy of reduction and patient satisfaction. The mean age was 44, 25% of patients were smokers and 35% had some form of comorbidity of whom three were diabetic. 27 injuries occurred after sport and two after assault the remainder occurred after a simple fall from a standing height.Superficial wound infections occurred in two patients in each group. Six patients requested removal of the nail, and six patients requested plate and screw removal. Patient reported outcome scores were comparable for the two groups. Two failures of fixat...