Does position of syndesmotic screw affect functional and radiological outcome in ankle fractures?

The optimum level of syndesmotic screw used in ankle fractures with a tibiofibular diastasis is not clear in the literature. In a retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes in two groups of patients-those who had a syndesmotic screw placed through the syndesmosis itself (transsyndesmotic, 17 patients) and those who had a syndesmotic screw placed just above the syndesmosis (suprasyndesmotic, 19 patients). The study suggests that the two groups do not differ significantly in terms of clinical and radiological outcomes. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.