Operative management of ankle fractures during pregnancy: case series

Abstract

Trauma affects approximately 5% of pregnancies and is the leading non-obstetric cause of maternal death. Ankle fractures occurring in pregnancy although minor, can nonetheless create diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for the patient and the surgeon. There is limited information on the operative management of ankle fractures during pregnancy in literature. We retrospectively reviewed hospital records of pregnant patients with ankle fractures who underwent surgery over a six month period from January to June 2013 in a private hospital in Nairobi. We present four cases of displaced ankle fractures in pregnancy that were fixed with good pregnancy outcomes. These case series highlight the management considerations of ankle fractures in pregnant women whose time to delivery is more than six weeks.