Arthroscopic Findings in Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beat Hintermann ◽  
Andreas Boss ◽  
Dirk Schäfer

Background There are little objective data on structural changes of the chronically unstable ankle. Such knowledge could help with preoperative planning. Hypothesis Preoperative ankle arthroscopy provides important insights into the causes and mechanisms of ankle instability and the resulting disability. Study Design Case series. Methods From 1993 to 1999, arthroscopic examination was performed in the ankles of 148 patients with symptomatic chronic ankle instability that had lasted 6 months or more. All structural changes were recorded and compared with the clinical diagnosis. Results A rupture or elongation of the anterior talofibular ligament was noted in 86% of ankles, of the calcaneofibular ligament in 64%, and of the deltoid ligament in 40%. Cartilage damage was noted in 66% of ankles with lateral ligament injuries, whereas 98% of the ankles with deltoid ligament injuries had cartilage damage. Although lateral instability could be verified arthroscopically in 127 patients, medial instability was presumed clinically in 38 patients but was actually detected in 54 patients arthroscopically. Conclusion Preoperative ankle arthroscopy revealed an essential amount of information that would otherwise have been undetected. For instance, the ligaments showed typical abnormalities corresponding to different entities of ankle instability and different intra-articular pathologic conditions.

2021 ◽  
pp. 107110072199707
Author(s):  
Yasunari Ikuta ◽  
Tomoyuki Nakasa ◽  
Junichi Sumii ◽  
Akinori Nekomoto ◽  
Nobuo Adachi

Background: Rotational ankle instability (RAI) is associated with the faster onset of severe ankle osteoarthritis via dysfunction of the anterior talofibular ligament, calcaneofibular ligament, and deltoid ligament. No specific clinical examination is available for RAI, and diagnostic imaging has limitations in evaluating ligament degradation. This study investigated the deltoid ligament degeneration using Hounsfield unit (HU) values on computed tomography (CT) images. Methods: Patients were enrolled in this retrospective analysis if they had undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT scans of the ankle. The chronic ankle instability (CAI) group comprised 20 ankles with CAI (9 men, 11 women; mean age, 28.7 years) and the control group comprised 28 ankles (16 men, 12 women, mean age, 41.3 years). The average HU values of the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament (dPTL) that constitutes the deltoid ligament were measured on coronal CT images, and MRI results were used as a reference. All patients were subdivided based on the MRI findings of dPTL injury such as fascicular disruption, irregularity, and the loss of striation. Results: A strong negative correlation was identified between age and HU values for all patients (Spearman ρ = −0.63; P < .001). The mean HU values of the dPTL for participants aged <60 years were 81.0 HU for the control group (21 ankles) and 69.5 HU for the CAI group ( P = .0075). No significant differences in the HU values were observed for the dPTL among the MRI subgroups. Conclusion: In addition to the conventional imaging examination such as stress radiographs and MRI, HU measurements of CT images could be useful for quantitatively and noninvasively evaluating degenerative changes in the deltoid ligament for CAI patients to assist the diagnosis of RAI. Level of Evidence: Level III. case-control study.


Author(s):  
Chad Alexander Purcell ◽  
James Calder ◽  
Kentaro Matsui ◽  
Pontus Andersson ◽  
Jón Karlsson ◽  
...  

ImportancePatients with chronic ankle instability (CAI) who have failed non-operative treatments are most commonly treated with open ankle repair or reconstruction of the anterior talofibular ligament and/or calcaneofibular ligament. Over 50 operative techniques have been described for the treatment of CAI. However, there is no current systematic evaluation of currently used open operative techniques for the treatment of CAI.Aim/ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study is to provide evidence-based treatment recommendations for CAI in adults based on a comprehensive systematic review of the literature.Evidence reviewThe literature review of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane and Web of Science databases was completed on 22 February 2017. Search terms included two concepts: lateral ligament of the ankle (patients) and open reconstructive or repair procedures (intervention). All published clinical studies with English translation were included. Biomechanical, cadaveric, review articles, minimally invasive procedures and arthroscopic procedures were excluded. Open operative procedures from included articles were classified as anatomical or non-anatomical and repair or reconstructive. Articles were then assigned a level of evidence (I-V) to denote quality of the research methods. Articles were reviewed collectively to provide a grade of recommendation (A-C or I) in support for or against the operative intervention in treatment of CAI.FindingsSeventy one of 1635 identified articles were included for review. There is fair evidence (Grade B) in support of anatomical repair, anatomical reconstruction and non-anatomical reconstruction procedures. There was insufficient evidence available to grade internal brace and non-anatomical repair procedures.Conclusions and relevanceAlthough only fair-quality evidence exists in support of open operative treatment of CAI, this systematic review helps reassure clinicians of their current practices. The literature reaffirms support for open anatomical repair and anatomical reconstruction technique for CAI.Level of evidenceLevel II, systematic review.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0033
Author(s):  
Sunghoon Park ◽  
Taehun Kim ◽  
Younguk Park

Category: Ankle, Arthroscopy, Sports Introduction/Purpose: The modified Broström operation (MBO) for chronic ankle instability (CAI) has demonstrated good clinical results. Absence of ligamentous tissue was known as a risk factor for recurrence of ankle instability after the sugery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of quality of ligament tissue (anterior talofibular ligament, ATFL) on prognosis in a cohort of patients with CAI after the MBO. Methods: This study was a retrospective case series. A total of 60 patients underwent the MBO for CAI with a mean follow-up of 30.1 months (range, 24-47 months). Presence of ATFL remnant was assessed on ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and arthroscopy in all patients. The foot and ankle outcome score (FAOS) was used to evaluate functional outcomes. Clinical outcomes were compared according to the condition of the ligament remnant. Association with other risk factors was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: ATFL was visible in 51/60 cases on US. Thirty patients had thin or absent ATFL on MRI; 22 patients, normal thickness ATFL; and 8 patients, thick ATFL. ATFL was visible in 15 patients on arthroscopy and nonvisible or not clear in 45 cases. Significant differences in FAOS were not noted according to the presence of ATFL remnant on US, arthroscopy, and the grade of ATFL thickness on MRI. No correlation was found between FAOS and the thickness of ATFL. Conclusion: The results suggest that the MBO for patients with CAI had good results, regardless of the presence or absence of ATFL remnant.


2021 ◽  
pp. 036354652110080
Author(s):  
Sung Hyun Lee ◽  
Hyung Gyu Cho ◽  
Je Heon Yang

Background: Although several arthroscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of chronic ankle instability (CAI) have been introduced recently, the effect of inferior extensor retinaculum (IER) augmentation remains unclear. Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes after arthroscopic anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) repair according to whether additional IER augmentation was performed or not. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic ATFL repair surgery for CAI between 2016 and 2018. The mean age of the patients was 35.2 years (range, 19-51 years), and the mean follow-up period was 32.6 months (range, 24-48 months). Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the surgical technique used for CAI: arthroscopic ATFL repair (group A; n = 37) and arthroscopic ATFL repair with additional IER augmentation (group R; n = 45). The pain visual analog scale, American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score, Foot and Ankle Outcome Score, and the Karlsson Ankle Function Score were measured as subjective outcomes, and posturographic analysis was performed using a Tetrax device as an objective outcome. Radiologic outcome evaluations were performed preoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively using stress radiographs and axial view magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Out of 101 patients, 19 (18.5%) were excluded per the exclusion criteria, and 82 were evaluated. We identified 6 retears (7.3%) based on postoperative MRI evaluation. All patients who had ATFL retear on MRI (8.1% [3/37] in group A and 6.7% [3/45] in group R) demonstrated recurrent CAI with functional discomfort and anterior displacement >3 mm as compared with the intact contralateral ankle. All clinical scores and posturography results were improved after surgery in both groups ( P < .001). However, there were no significant differences in the clinical results and radiologic findings between the groups. Conclusion: The clinical and radiologic outcomes of patients with CAI improved after all-inside arthroscopic ATFL repair. However, additional IER augmentation after arthroscopic ATFL repair did not guarantee better clinical outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 247301142092280
Author(s):  
Ian M. Foran ◽  
Daniel D. Bohl ◽  
Anand Vora ◽  
Kamran S. Hamid ◽  
Simon Lee

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia J. Wright ◽  
Stacey L. Nauman ◽  
Jon C. Bosh

Controlled research has shown that a single-exercise wobble-board intervention is effective at reducing symptoms and increasing function in patients with chronic ankle instability. However, the effectiveness of this protocol has not been documented in a realistic intercollegiate athletics environment. Eight intercollegiate athletes with chronic ankle instability participated in an 8-week (3 sessions/wk) wobble-board intervention. In a realistic environment, this simple intervention was feasible to implement and resulted in meaningful improvements in patient-reported stability for more than half of the patients (5 of 8) but only improved the global rating of function and pain for a minority of the patients (2 of 8 and 3 of 8, respectively). Not all patients experienced equal symptom reduction; however, no new ankle sprains occurred during the intervention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0031
Author(s):  
Hideo Noguchi

Category: Ankle, Sports, Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Acute ankle ligament injuries are usually treated non-operatively, even if the injury is severe. However, when chronic ankle instability is symptomatic, operative treatment is required. When planning local repair, the condition of the remaining ligament is important. We surgically treated acute severe lateral ligament injuries in 103 ankles and investigated the locations of the injuries in the anterior talofibular (ATF) and calcaneofibular (CF) ligaments, subdividing each into three parts. This paper should facilitate more precise planning of the surgical reconstruction procedure. Methods: From 2006 to 2014, 1,042 patients visited our outpatient clinic with a diagnosis of acute lateral ligament injury of the ankle. In total, 103 feet underwent surgical treatment and the locations of the ATF and CF ligament ruptures were investigated. The rupture location in the ATF ligament was subclassified as fibular side, body, or talar side, while for the CF ligament it was classified as fibular side, body, or calcaneal side. Results: The ATF ligament was ruptured on the fibular side in 38 feet (36.9%), body in 30 feet (29.1%), and talar side in 35 feet (34.0%). The CF ligament was ruptured on the fibular side in 15 feet (14.6%), body in 26 feet (25.2%), and calcaneal side in 62 feet (60.2%). Conclusion: Almost all surgical reports on lateral ligament reconstruction procedures (Brostrom et al.) describe ATF ligament repair and advancement on the fibular side, although only one-third of the ligaments were injured on the fibular side in our series. About two-thirds of the CF ligaments had damage to the calcaneal side structure of the entheses. When CF ligament repair is needed, surgeons should be aware of our finding that this ligament was ruptured at the fibular attachment in only 15% of cases, and on the calcaneal side in 60%. This knowledge should lead to better results of surgical reconstruction.


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