Effects of the shortened lateral malleolus on the stability of malleolus

Objective: To analyze the relationship between the shortened lateral malleolus and the stability of malleolus and to explore the biomechanism of traumatic ankle arthritis. Methods:Eight fresh frozen lower extremity specimens were used. At the condition of normalshortened 13shortened 23 and shortened 33 length,the tibial astragaloid joint's area and pressure were measured. Results:The contact area of the normal tibial astragaloid joint analyzed by shapes of dyeing area looked like the triangle. For shortened lateral malleolus, the contact area of the tibial astragaloid joint moved outward and diminished, the average pressure of the tibial astragaloid joint increased obviously. Conclusions:The normal length of lateral malleolus play an important role in the stability of ankle,therefore, we should try our best to restore the length of the lateral malleolus during the operation .