Management of Subtalar Fractures-Dislocations at Ségou Hospital in Mali: A 7 Cases Series

Abstract

Introduction: Subtalar or peritalian dislocation is rare; it represents 15% of peritalian injuries. The aim of this study was to describe the radioclinical and therapeutic characteristics and to assess the functional result. Patients and Methods: This study is about a continuous descriptive and prospective study over a period of 5 years. It has been conducted from March 2013 to February 2018 at the Ségou Hospital, a second referral hospital in Mali. The functional results were evaluated by the score of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS). Results: Seven cases of subtalar dislocation fractures were diagnosed in six male patients with an average age of 38 years (36 to 47 years old). In five cases the etiology of the trauma was a motorcycle accident and a fall from height. The lesion was bilateral in one case. The average time to care was 3 hours (1 to 9 hours). There was one case of open dislocation fracture with talus enucleation. The dislocation was medial in 6 cases and lateral in one case. It was pure in three cases. The treatment was orthopedic in 2 cases and surgical in 5 cases. The post-operative complications were complicated by an infection of the operative site in one case. The average length of hospital stay was 4 days. The functional result was excellent in 2 cases; good in 2 cases, fair in 2 cases and poor for 1 case. Conclusion: Subtalar dislocation is a rare and serious lesion of the posterior tarsus. The long-term prognosis depends on the earliness of treatment and the severity of the associated injuries.