An attending orthopedic surgeon at NYU Langone Health, Dr. John G. Kennedy works with patients who suffer from foot and ankle injuries. Dr. John G. Kennedy authored an article published in Orthopedics Today in January 2020, that reported improved outcomes for syndesmosis injury patients who received suture button fixation as opposed to syndesmotic screw fixation.
The meta-analysis spanned five randomized controlled trials and 142 patients who underwent syndesmotic screw fixation and 143 patients who underwent suture button fixation. The latter group demonstrated higher overall American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society postoperative scores and Olerud-Molander scores. These are rankings used to define the effectiveness of surgical procedures that correct fractures and other injuries of the foot and ankle. In addition, they had lower rates of joint malreduction, implant removal, and broken implants.
As described by Dr. Kennedy, physiological ankle motion was preserved in ways that enabled patients who underwent the suture button technique to return to normal daily activities more quickly. He noted that this analysis took into account level 1 evidence studies, with the suture-button technique receiving a grade A recommendation when it comes to syndesmosis injuries.
Dr. John G. Kennedy 