Analysis of Medial Clear Space Widening in Weber B Ankle Fractures

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · Jun 17, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This is an observational study at the University of Utah looking at Weber B ankle fractures (a specific type of ankle fracture). The researchers want to see whether three standard X-ray stress tests—gravity-assisted stress, manual external rotation stress, and weight-bearing stress—show the same or different amounts of widening inside the ankle joint. They will measure how much the inside part of the ankle joint widens (in millimeters) on day 1 of the clinic visit to see if the different stress methods predict instability differently. The study plans to enroll about 60 adults who are 18 to 90 years old and have a Weber B fracture.

If you’re eligible, you would come in about 7–10 days after your fracture for one clinic visit in which X-rays are taken under all three stress tests. Your usual medical care decisions, including treatment or surgery, will be made by your doctors as they normally would, and this study only collects information about the stress views. Exclusions include having other ankle fractures, previous ankle surgery or arthritis that affects the ankle, an open fracture, or certain abnormal initial X-ray findings before stress. The study is currently enrolling by invitation, with an estimated completion date of May 2026, and no results are available yet. Principal investigator: Dr. Lucas Marchand.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients with a Weber B ankle fracture who are skeletally mature (no open physes) and older than 18 years of age.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Medial and/or posterior Malleolar fracture
• • Any other lower extremity trauma that limits weight bearing
• • Concomitant arthridities/rheumatologic disease (patients with osteoarthritis may be included)
• • Prior fracture
• • Prior surgery of foot, talus or ankle
• • Open fracture
• • Initial NWB xrays with a medial clear space (MCS) \> 7 mm or medial clear space\> superior clear space (SCS) by 2mm, signifying an unstable fracture prior to stress
• • Protected populations