Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in Surgery: Evaluation after Minimally Invasive Reduction and Percutaneous K-Wires Fixation for Intra-Articular Calcaneal Fractures

Background: The optimal surgical treatment of intra-articular calcaneal fractures (IACF) is still under debate. In the literature, results are based on clinical or radiographical findings. Few studies have evaluated the effect of patient expectations on patient-reported outcomes after surgery and little is known about outcomes directly reported by the patient who experienced it. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) may represent a viable and useful tool for evaluating the efficacy of the procedure and can be considered as an indicators of health-care quality. The aim of this study is to evaluate PROMs after minimally invasive reduction and percutaneous Kirschner-wires fixation for IACF, and to compare PROMs to pre-operative and last follow-up radiographic findings. Methods: 33 consecutive patients with IACF treated with minimally invasive reduction and percutaneous K-wires fixation were included. Data collection included demographics, pre-operative and last available Böhler and Gissane angle X-rays, foot function index (FFI), and foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS). Results: At a mean follow up of 36.7 months, the mean FFI score was 24.3 ± 19.9 and the mean FAOS score was 68 ± 24.8. Patients with better Gissane angle showed better activity limitations FFI subscores. Moreover, worse pre-operative Gissane and Böhler angle were significantly associated with a worse total FAOS score and subscores. Conclusions: Minimally invasive reduction and percutaneous K-wires fixation provided satisfactory PROMs. Despite these results, prospective randomized studies are required to confirm the validity and reliability of PROMs in evaluating different treatments.