Long-term Functional Outcome and Satisfaction After Surgical Management of Cuboid Fractures

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Trauma Care
• Foot and Ankle Reconstruction

Background:

• Cuboid fractures are uncommon injuries with limited data on long-term functional outcomes.
• Evaluating functional results, complications, quality of life, and patient satisfaction after surgical management is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the long-term functional outcomes, complication rates, quality of life, and patient satisfaction following surgical treatment of cuboid fractures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 45 patients (≥16 years) with surgically treated cuboid fractures.
• Functional outcomes assessed using Foot Function Index (FFI) and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) midfoot score.
• Quality of life measured by EQ-5D; complications like nonunion and infection were recorded.

Main Results:

• Median follow-up was 67 months; 42 patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation.
• Good to fair AOFAS scores (median 76) and high patient satisfaction (mean 8.7/10) were observed.
• No infections or nonunions occurred; only 2 patients required secondary calcaneocuboid joint fusion. Cuboid plate fixation correlated with better AOFAS scores.

Conclusions:

• Surgical intervention, especially with cuboid plate fixation, effectively restores cuboid anatomy.
• This approach leads to fracture union, good functional outcomes, and high patient satisfaction with a low complication profile.