The pattern of ankle fractures in Kenyatta national hospital

Abstract

Background Ankle fractures are among the most common injuries treated by orthopeadic surgeons.The management is dependent on the extent of bony involement, soft tissue and ligamentous injury. Epidemiology of these fractures is changing with rise in incidence among elderly population as seen in the Western world and the young population in Africa. The commonest aetiology of these fracturesin Africa is road traffic accidents. The treatment of ankle fractures is challenging despite several studies and the advancement of treatment modalities. Kenyatta National Hospital deals with this fractures on daily basis. This study looked at the pattern of ankle fractures in Kenyatta National Hospital. Objectives To determine the pattern and modalities of treatment of adult ankle fractures among patients presenting at Kenyatta National Hospital . Study design A cross sectional prospective analytical study. Setting Kenyata National Hospital orthopedic unit Patients and method Patients with ankle fractures were recruited by the investigator and the assistant. The patients who gave consent and met the inclusion criteria were recruitedin the study. A questionaire was used to determine the age, gender, socioeconomic status, mechanism and type of injuries. Results A total of 100 patients recruited over the period of 3months period. The mean age was 40years with range of 20-80 years. The sample had 70 males(70%)and 30 females(30%). Most fractures were as a result of motorcycle accidents accounting for 34% and least being assault 2.%. 73% had closed injuries 27% open injuries. B2 type being the most common type(35%) of injury.Non-operative treatment of fractures wascommonly employedwith a proportion of 68% while operativetreatment had a proportion of 28%. During the period of study the 54.2% cases healed with no complications while 45.8% cases were associated with complications.Two of the cases were lost to follow up. Conclusion The study showed a high rate of fractures due to road traffic accidents secondary to motorcycle injury. The majority were males in their third decade and older women. Weber type B was the commonest type of ankle fractures and most of them treated non operatively