Intramedullary fixation versus anatomically contoured plating of unstable ankle fractures: a randomized control trial.

Aim: This study compared functional outcomes between anatomical shaped fibular plates and intramedullary nail fixation of adult patients who sustained unstable ankle fractures.

Methods: A prospective randomized control trial was conducted between November 2013 and December 2016 on patients that presented with an unstable ankle fractures. They were randomized into a plate-and-screw group and a fibula nail group.

Lost to follow-up: Challenges to conducting orthopaedic research in South Africa.

Loss to follow-up poses a major problem for clinicians and researchers, and several factors that may increase its risk have been postulated. The objective of this study was to describe potential factors that contribute to loss to follow-up as seen in orthopaedic patients participating in a research study and attending the sole public orthopaedic service provider in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa (SA). All patients who underwent ankle fracture surgery at Kimberley Provincial Hospital between January 2012 and July 2013 were included, and the number of follow-up visits attended by each participant was recorded prospectively.