Abstract
Objective To compare pre- and postoperative variation of radiographic measurements of the Böhler
angle (BA) in fractures with two types of deviations: severe and moderate.
Methods Pre- and postoperative BAs in 31 calcaneal fracture radiographs were retrospectively
analyzed. A total of 4 patients were female (6.5%) and 26 were male (83.9%), with
age ranging from 23 to 72 years old, and a mean age of 44.5 years old.
Results The results show that the postoperative BA was significantly larger than the preoperative
BA (p = 0.000). At the intraevaluator and overall assessments, the postoperative BA was,
on average, 10.6° higher than the preoperative measure. The postoperative angle was,
on average, 108% higher than the preoperative angle. In the global assessment, the
agreement between evaluators was excellent, both regarding the estimated point value
(0.98) and the intraclass correlation (ICC) confidence interval (CI).
Conclusion In the global analysis, the postoperative BAs were, on average, significantly higher
than the preoperative measurements. The farther from the normal range (20° to 40°)
the preoperative angle is, the greater the difference after the surgery. When the
preoperative angle was normal, the postoperative angle was, on average, 1.28 times
the preoperative measurement. If the preoperative BA was abnormal, the postoperative
angle was, on average, 17.3 times the preoperative measurement. It was demonstrated
that more severe fractures present better anatomic results when compared with moderate
fractures. The present study also confirms a good interobserver correlation for the
BA.
Keywords
calcaneus - fractures bone - intra-articular fractures - radiography
