We report a case of equinus foot deformity and malunion of the medial malleolus caused due to tibialis posterior tendon interposition following irreducible fracture-dislocation of the ankle. A 19-year-old female patient was referred to our hospital with the chief complaint of persistent ankle pain and restricted ankle dorsiflexion. Her medical history revealed a fracture-dislocation of the ankle in the left tibia at the age of 18 years. Open reduction and osteosynthesis were performed 3 days after injury. One year after the operation, ankle pain and restricted ankle dorsiflexion persisted. Computed tomography revealed malunion of the medial malleolus and an irregular groove in the interosseous space between the tibia and fibula. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed entrapment of the tibialis posterior tendon within the posterior talocrural joint and syndesmosis, preventing posterior translation of the talus back to its normal position and forcing the fibula to remain anteriorly displaced in the syndesmosis. We performed several procedures, including reduction of the tibialis posterior tendon interposition and dislocation of the talus, augmentation of the tibio-fibular ligament, and recession of the gastrocnemius. Finally, the patient achieved plantigrade stance and improvement in her Japanese Society for Surgery of the foot ankle/hindfoot scale from 42 to 82 points, after a 2-year follow-up. Anterior impingement caused the patient to experience severe osteoarthritis. Early reduction of the tibialis posterior tendon should have been achieved for this case. Age, fracture type, and severely restricted range of motion should raise suspicion of this adverse event. Level of Clinical Evidence: 4.

Autologous cancellous bone (ACB) grafting is the “gold standard” treatment for delayed bone union. However, small animal models for such grafts are lacking. Here, we developed an ACB graft rat model. Anatomical information regarding the iliac structure was recorded from five rat cadavers (10 ilia). Additionally, 5 and 25 rats were used as controls and ACB graft models, respectively. A defect was created in rat femurs and filled with ACB. Post-graft neo-osteogenic potential was assessed by radiographic evaluation and histological analysis. Iliac bone harvesting yielded the maximum amount of cancellous bone with minimal invasiveness, considering the position of parailiac nerves and vessels. The mean volume of cancellous bone per rat separated from the cortical bone was 73.8 ± 5.5 mm3. Bone union was evident in all ACB graft groups at 8 weeks, and new bone volume significantly increased every 2 weeks (P < 0.001). Histological analysis demonstrated the ability of ACB grafts to act as a scaffold and promote bone union in the defect. In conclusion, we established a stable rat model of ACB grafts by harvesting the iliac bone. This model can aid in investigating ACB grafts and development of novel therapies for bone injury.

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A bstract Aim When a leg-length discrepancy (LLD) is severe enough, it can result in lumbar scoliosis and other postural defects. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated associations between LLD and lumbar curvature using full-length standing radiographs of the lower limbs and lumbar spine. This study aimed to examine the correlations between LLD and lateral curvature of the lumbar spine using standing radiographs. Materials and methods Full-length standing radiographs of the lower limbs and spinal column of 113 participants (age range: 10–65 years) obtained between November 2006 and September 2019 were reviewed. Leg length was measured as the linear distance from the centre of the femoral head to the centre of the tibial plafond and converted to millimetres using a radiographic ruler captured in the images. Leg-length discrepancy was analysed as the absolute difference (mm) between the left and right leg lengths. Inequality was also evaluated as leg-length discrepancy ratio (LLDR), calculated as leg-length discrepancy/length of the unaffected (longer) leg × 100 (%). Lateral lumbar curvature was evaluated with the Cobb angle (°). The association between LLD or LLDR and lumbar Cobb angle was analysed by correlation analysis. Statistical analysis was performed by simple regression in SPSS. Results Both LLD and LLDR exhibited a robust and positive correlation with lumbar Cobb angle (γ = 0.53, γ = 0.62), as illustrated by the following regression equations: lumbar Cobb angle (°) = 0.316 × leg-length discrepancy (mm) + 2.83 and lumbar Cobb angle (°) = 2.19 × leg-length discrepancy ratio (%) + 3.0. Conclusion Using objective imaging data, we found that the lumbar Cobb angle tends to be >10° if the difference in leg lengths is >20 mm. How to cite this article Hamada T, Matsubara H, Kato S, et al. Correlation Analysis between Leg-length Discrepancy and Lumbar Scoliosis Using Full-length Standing Radiographs. Strategies Trauma Limb Reconstr 2022;17(3):144–147.

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