Use of a Pin Distractor as an Aid for Fixation of Pronation-External Rotation Fibular Fractures.

Restoration of fibular length in pronation and other comminuted ankle fractures is key to good clinical outcomes and is often a challenging aspect of open reduction and internal fixation of the fibula. This article reports the use of a pin distractor to achieve appropriate fibular reduction in otherwise challenging ankle fractures. The authors describe the use of a pin distractor to obtain length and minimize the number of surgical assistants needed for these challenging ankle fractures. The authors find this technique particularly useful with pronation type and subacute ankle fractures. [Orthopedics. 2017; 40(1):e192-e194.].