Is It an Overlooked Injury? Magnetic Resonance Imaging Examination of Occult Talus Lesions Concomitant to Tibial Shaft Fracture

Long-term studies have shown that 10% to 20% of patients continue to experience ankle pain years after tibial fracture, which causes poor functional results and dissatisfaction. The aim of this study was to show that there could be a talus injury in patients with a tibial shaft fracture and to reveal occult talus lesions with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination. Fifty-two patients with a tibial shaft fracture, with closed epiphyses, not extending to the joint and with no problems in the application of MRI examination were included. All patients underwent intramedullary tibial nailing. Patients with a lesion detected on MRI were planned to be examined by MRI again at mean of 12 months later. Ankle function of the patients were evaluated with the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, Freiburg, and Weber scoring systems at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. At the first MRI, 22 (42.3%) patients with tibial shaft fracture were found to have talus lesions: 7 (13.5%) had osteochondritis dissecans, 12 (23.1%) had edema, and 3 (5.8%) had cysts. A second MRI was planned for patients with edema and osteochondritis dissecans at a mean of 12 months. Finally, at 12 months, MRI examinations revealed osteochondritis dissecans and edema in 9 (17.3%) and 8 (15.4%) patients, respectively. In the evaluations of the patients according to the ankle scoring systems, the scores of the patients with pathology determined in the talus were significantly worse statistically than those of patients with no pathology determined at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Atalus lesion accompanied the tibial shaft fracture at a rate of 37%. The talus injuries were seen especially with an indirect mechanism of trauma, in distal third fractures, in spiral fractures, and when the tibial fracture was accompanied by a lateral malleolar fracture. In the presence of findings indicating talus injury in cases of tibial shaft fracture, the talus should be evaluated with ankle MRI.