Tibial impingement secondary to distal fibular lag screw placement: A case report

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Bai, Lu^a | Zhou, Wen^b | Zhang, Wen-Tao^{a; *} | Huang, Wei^a | Zhang, Hong-Lei^a

Affiliations: [a] Department of Sports Medicine Shenzhen Hospital of Peking University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | [b] Department of Radiology Shenzhen Hospital of Peking University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Wen-Tao Zhang, Department of Sports Medicine Shenzhen Hospital of Peking University, Shenzhen 518036, Guangdong, China. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: Impingement, tibial erosions, and “painful hardware” caused by a lag screw used for malleolar fracture stabilization are rare occurrences. We report a case of a symptomatic lag screw, used to fix a distal fibular fracture, that impinged on the distal tibial and causing symptoms. Awareness of the condition and early diagnosis based on thoughtful review of CT images are key to symptom alleviation. A review of the published data on the complication of “painful hardware” following ankle fracture fixation is also presented.

Keywords: Lag screw, ankle fracture fixation, painful hardware, symptomatic lag screw, computed tomography

DOI: 10.3233/THC-160447

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 349-355, 2018