Combined anterior and posterior ankle impingement syndrome with nonunion of Cedell fracture in a 58-year-old female: a case report

BACKGROUND: Combined anterior and posterior ankle impingement has seldom been reported. Cedell fracture, fracture of posteromedial tubercle of talus, is an uncommon and easily missed injury which may elicit posteromedial ankle impingement. The injury mechanisms and management strategies of these two lesions have been reported individually. But the concurrent lesion of both of them has not been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a 58-year-old female with combined anterior and posterior ankle impingement syndrome with nonunion of Cedell fracture in whom open osteophytes debridement, fracture internal fixation and posterior talotibial ligament reconstruction were performed. The AOFAS hindfoot score was 90 at 1 year follow-up. To our knowledge, this was the first reported case with anterior, posterior and posteromedial impingement which was treated operatively with an excellent short-term outcome. CONCLUSIONS: To fully recognize this occult lesion and avoid missing is imperative for reducing the morbidities. We suggest CT and MRI as excellent imaging modalities that can help the timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment for this combined impingement with circumferential lesions.