Surgery for Synovial Fistula after Excision of the Lateral Malleolar Bursitis of the Ankle: A Case Report

Abstract

Lateral malleolar bursitis of the ankle is a commonly encountered disease in the department of orthopedic surgery. Although most cases of lateral malleolar bursitis are managed by conservative treatments, operative treatment is considered in cases of infected bursitis or complication after surgery. There are several potential complications associated with operative treatment, including wound healing problem, skin necrosis, nerve injury, or recurrence. However, synovial fistula of the ankle as a complication after surgery for lateral malleolar bursitis has not been previously reported. The author experienced the complication of synovial fistula after surgery for lateral malleolar bursitis and obtained a satisfactory result in revision surgery for the complication, which was coverage of the fistular formation with a periosteal flap from the distal fibula.

Effects of Acupotomy Treatment on Relapsed Lateral Malleolar Bursitis: A Case Report

“…Patients . This procedure is also more technically difficult to perform compared to other surgical techniques 14) . The lateral calcaneal artery adipofascial flap, another surgical treatment technique, was also reported to be used for treating malleolar bursitis 15) .…”

“…In the case of moderate lateral malleolar bursitis, subjective symptoms are often mild. Therefore, ordinary conservative treatments, such as aspiration, applying a compression bandage, corticosteroid injections, or orthopedic posture correction are initially recommended 5,14) . to previous studies 3,5) .…”

“…Surgeons also must be well versed in the patient's local anatomical ankle structure, such as blood vessel patency and blood flow variance prior to using this surgical technique. Due to these limitations, these surgical techniques could not be universally performed, though no better alternative techniques exist 14,15) .…”

Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis and Management of Synovial Fistula Associated Lateral Ankle Sprain or Instability: A Retrospective Study of 19 Surgically Confirmed Patients

“…In other words, the SF is generally presumed to be iatrogenic and can accompany a communication with adjacent extracapsular spaces including bursal sac. Although not many cases of SF of the ankle joint have been reported, most of these were found in association with adjacent bursitis [11][12][13].…”