Comparison of suture-button and screw fixation in the treatment of ankle syndesmotic injuries: Cohort study protocol.

Background: Syndesmotic injuries account for a significant number of ankle injuries. There is no consensus regarding the recommended method of treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate: (1) functional outcomes, (2) implant survivorship, (3) complications, and (4) radiographic analysis in patients who underwent fixtion with either syndesmotic screw or suture-button technique by the same experienced surgeon. Methods: This study was performed and reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology checklist. The records of 200 patients with ankle fractures who had undergone surgical treatment in our clinics between January 2014 and January 2018 were retrospectively investigated. This retrospective cohort study was approved by the institutional review board in the 2nd Hospital of Jilin University. The primary outcome measure was the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scale and the Foot Function Index. Secondary outcome measures included visual analog scale score, complications, range of movement of ankle, reoperations, and radiologic outcomes. For statistical comparison of the clinical and radiologic findings between the 2 groups, we used SPSS, version 21.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL), statistical software.PValues of < .05 were considered statistically significant. Conclusion: The hypothesis was that the SB technique would achieve better functional outcomes as compared to the syndesmotic screw technique after surgery.