Talus fracture

Talus fracture

The talus consists of a head, neck and body . The most common injury is a talar neck fracture. This is caused by forced dorsiflexion of the forefoot (aviator’s astragalus). The blood supply to the body of the talus is interrupted in displaced talar neck fractures. In high-energy injuries the talus can not only be fractured but also dislocated, at either the talonavicular joint, subtalar joint or tibiotalar joint. These are very serious injuries to the foot that can a ff ect the patient’s long-term function through the development of either degenerative changes or avascular necrosis. To optimise outcome and reduce the possibility of avascular necrosis, anatomical reduction and stable fixation of the talar neck should be performed. Fixation of the talus to achieve compression can be technically very challenging. An operative issue with talus fractures is that there tends to be comminution that does not allow e ff ective compression of the fracture fragments together, or when compression is achieved the shape of the talus is inadvertently altered, thereby a ff ect - ing the shape of the foot. In addition, the injury to the blood supply from the initial trauma may result in avascular necrosis - of the talus, non-union and later degeneration between it and the adjacent joints (tibiotalar, talocalcaneal and talonavicular). Talus fracture

The talus consists of a head, neck and body . The most common injury is a talar neck fracture. This is caused by forced dorsiflexion of the forefoot (aviator’s astragalus). The blood supply to the body of the talus is interrupted in displaced talar neck fractures. In high-energy injuries the talus can not only be fractured but also dislocated, at either the talonavicular joint, subtalar joint or tibiotalar joint. These are very serious injuries to the foot that can a ff ect the patient’s long-term function through the development of either degenerative changes or avascular necrosis. To optimise outcome and reduce the possibility of avascular necrosis, anatomical reduction and stable fixation of the talar neck should be performed. Fixation of the talus to achieve compression can be technically very challenging. An operative issue with talus fractures is that there tends to be comminution that does not allow e ff ective compression of the fracture fragments together, or when compression is achieved the shape of the talus is inadvertently altered, thereby a ff ect - ing the shape of the foot. In addition, the injury to the blood supply from the initial trauma may result in avascular necrosis - of the talus, non-union and later degeneration between it and the adjacent joints (tibiotalar, talocalcaneal and talonavicular). Talus fracture

The talus consists of a head, neck and body . The most common injury is a talar neck fracture. This is caused by forced dorsiflexion of the forefoot (aviator’s astragalus). The blood supply to the body of the talus is interrupted in displaced talar neck fractures. In high-energy injuries the talus can not only be fractured but also dislocated, at either the talonavicular joint, subtalar joint or tibiotalar joint. These are very serious injuries to the foot that can a ff ect the patient’s long-term function through the development of either degenerative changes or avascular necrosis. To optimise outcome and reduce the possibility of avascular necrosis, anatomical reduction and stable fixation of the talar neck should be performed. Fixation of the talus to achieve compression can be technically very challenging. An operative issue with talus fractures is that there tends to be comminution that does not allow e ff ective compression of the fracture fragments together, or when compression is achieved the shape of the talus is inadvertently altered, thereby a ff ect - ing the shape of the foot. In addition, the injury to the blood supply from the initial trauma may result in avascular necrosis - of the talus, non-union and later degeneration between it and the adjacent joints (tibiotalar, talocalcaneal and talonavicular).