Operative Treatment of Acute Traumatic Dislocation of the Proximal Tibiofibular Joint with TightRope Fixation and Primary LCL Repair Following Tibial Intramedullary Nailing

Proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) dislocation is a rare acute injury of the knee that is often misdiagnosed or overlooked. The diagnosis should be considered as part of the differential in any patient presenting with acute-onset lateral knee pain after an aggressive torsion trauma to a flexed knee. This case report detailing surgical fixation of a PTFJ dislocation is unique in that surgical lateral collateral ligament (LCL) repair was necessary and performed, and PTFJ fixation occurred following recent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of the tibia. This paper details specific technique and orientation of fixation to best return the PTFJ to anatomic alignment, as failure to do so can lead to instances of chronic morbidity. This case report describes surgical fixation of a traumatic posteromedial (Type III) PTFJ dislocation. During ORIF of the ipsilateral tibia, significant PTFJ laxity and displacement was noted intraoperatively. This necessitated a return to the operating room for definitive PTFJ surgical fixation with two TightRope syndesmotic suture button fixation devices with simultaneous intraoperative LCL repair with #2 Fiberwire. While few case reports have documented the use of TightRope syndesmotic fixation of the PTFJ, these authors present a novel method of orienting the fixation from the posterolateral fibula to the anteromedial tibia with simultaneous caudal to cranial direction in order to create orthogonal fixation of the PTFJ. This creates an orientation of fixation perpendicular to the anatomic alignment of the native PTFJ.We believe that this orientation of syndesmotic PTFJ fixation most physiologically replicates that of the native PTFJ, and will lead to effective surgical results and improved patient outcomes. We also believe that publications on this topic will help bring awareness to an underrecognized and underdiagnosed joint pathology, with the hopes that future patients will benefit and receive more thorough and efficient care.