Among ankle injuries, the injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis is common and likely neglected. The stability of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis is related to the depth of the fibular notch. In imaging diagnosis, X-ray examination cannot be used for a definite diagnosis of the injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. For diagnosis of the distal tibiofibular separation>3 mm, CT scan can be accurate but is not sensitive enough for a separation<1 mm while MRI is more sensitive in diagnosis of the injury. Arthroscopy has gradually been used as the "gold standard" in diagnosis of the injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis due to its advantage of direct vision. The distal tibiofibular separation occurs in the injuries of pronation external rotation Ⅳ°, supination external rotation Ⅲ° and Ⅳ°, and pronation abduction Ⅱ° and Ⅲ° by the Lange-Hansen classification. Most patients with simple stable injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis may have a good prognosis after nonoperative treatment. Surgical anatomic reduction and maintenance of stability of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis are the basic management principles for unstable distal tibiofibular syndesmosis or the injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis combined with ankle fracture. Screw fixation is the most commonly used in the surgical treatment of the injury. Elastic fixation has the advantages of maintaining the biological characteristics of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis fretting joint, better reduction fault tolerance, and lower rates of complications and long-term reduction loss. The angle of nail placement is the key to maintaining good reduction of the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis, but there has been little description of the specific methods to ensure the theoretical angle of nail placement in practice. This article also reviews the prospects of the future treatment of the injury to the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.

Ankle joint; Wounds and injuries; Fracture fixation, internal; Distal tibiofibular syndesmosis