Abstract

BACKGROUND: Fractures of the talus are uncommon injuries that usually involve the talar neck, rather than the talar body. This report is of a rare case of combined left talar neck fracture and adjacent joint dislocation with an ipsilateral bimalleolar ankle fracture.

CASE REPORT: A 37-year-old man presented with an injury to his left foot following a motor vehicle accident. When he presented to the hospital emergency department, his left foot and ankle were swollen, the overlying skin was intact but badly contused, and there was no neurovascular deficit. Radiographs of the left ankle showed a fracture of the talar neck and bimalleolar fracture. An initial closed reduction under anesthesia failed. Therefore, open reduction and rigid stabilization of all fractures were achieved surgically, followed by the application of an external fixator spanning the ankle and the subtalar joints. The external fixator was removed at six weeks, range of motion (ROM) exercises were commenced, and a non-weight-bearing mobilization protocol was continued for 12 weeks. At four-year follow-up, radiographs confirmed solid union of all fractures, and although avascular necrosis (AVN) of the talus and secondary ankle arthritis developed, the functional outcome was satisfactory.

CONCLUSIONS: The immediate management of talar neck fracture with dislocation combined with a bimalleolar fracture is important to prevent soft tissue complications and to improve the functional ROM of the ankle. However, AVN and post-traumatic osteoarthritis at both the ankle and the subtalar joints are still common sequelae of talus fracture. 

Keywords: ankle fractures, Osteoarthritis, osteonecrosis, Talus