Abstract
Purpose: Peripheral fractures of the talus are common after subtalar and midtarsal dislocations and are frequently overlooked. We report on an unusual peripheral injury to the talus which to the best of our knowledge has not yet been described in the literature.
Materials & Methods: A 28-year old woman sustained an injury to her left ankle when falling off a horse. Imaging studies revealed fractures of the medial malleolus and a bone fragment separated from the medial, extraarticular aspect of the talus.
At surgery a chondral fracture of the anteromedial edge of the talar trochlea was also found. It was noted that the separated fragment was attached to the horizontal fibers of the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament.
The fracture fragments were stabilized with screws and the denuded defect was drilled. The ankle was immobilized with a short leg non weight bearing cast.
Results: The fractures had healed within three months when full weight bearing was allowed. At one year the ankle was essentially asymptomatic and radiologically it appeared to be normal.
Conclusion: A very unusal extraarticular peripheral talar fracture is described that may resemble an avulsion of the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament. Screw fixation after drilling of the denuded defect resulted in full functional recovery.