Surgical treatment of ankle fractures by pneumatic stapling : Clinical experience and review of the literature


Published online: Aug 27 2005

Mireille GRIS, Olivier VAN NIEUWENHOVE, Alexis BUGGENHOUT, Franz BURNY

From Hôpital Erasme, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract

Between June 1987 and December 2002, 237 cases of malleolar fractures were treated at Erasme hospital using pneumatic stapling, alone or combined with another type of fixation. This retrospective study addresses 176 well-documented cases. The mean follow- up period was 36 months. The results indicate that pneumatic stapling is an effective technique with a very low rate of failure. Comminuted fractures are not a contraindication.