Fractures and dislocations of the lisfranc tarso-metatarsal articulation: outcome related to timing and choice of treatment

Keywords:

lisfranc ; outcome ; timing ; surgery ; missed injury ; fracture fixation


Published online: Jul 15 2019

Pietro Persiani , Michele Dario Gurzi , Alessandro Formica , Andrea Ruggeri , Ciro Villani

From the Department of Anatomic, Histologic, Forensic and Locomotor Apparatus Sciences; Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Abstract

A Lisfranc injury is when one or more of the metatarsals are displaced from the tarsus. The term is more commonly used to describe an injury to the midfoot, centred on the 2nd tarso-metatarsal joint. These fractures are sometimes easily overlooked, especially if they are part of a polytrauma. They are often difficult to diagnose and treat, but if they go undetected and are not properly treated, they can cause long-term or chronic disability. Our team reviewed a group of 71 patients with a Lisfranc fracture dislocation. The lesions were classified according to Meyerson classification. All the patients were re-evaluated 3 years after their surgeries by clinical examination, Ankle-Hindfoot Scale AOFAS questionnaire, X-rays and baropodometric analysis. This review outlines the treatment outcome of this injury, taking into consideration the timing of diagnosis.