Hardware in the medial malleolus: is it intra-articular?

Abstract

This paper is a radiographic approach to ascertain if the hardware at the medial malleolus is intra-articular. A human tibia was removed from a skeleton and pins were placed in the medial malleolus representing pins that would be intra- and extra-articular (in the mortise). Radiographs were obtained at precise rotation intervals. Those pins that were placed intra-articularly could not be made to appear otherwise. The pin that was placed extra-articularly was visualized on a single view to be extra-articular. Therefore, if hardware can be demonstrated to be extra-articular on any one view then it is not intra-articular.