scholarly journals Lateral Ankle Ligament Repair: Evolution of Technique from Open to Arthroscopy

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-68
Author(s):  
Kushal Nag ◽  
Ken Jin Tan

ABSTRACT One of the most common injuries of the lower extremity is the lateral ankle sprain. In recent years, with greater emphasis on physical fitness, the chronically painful and unstable lateral ankle is an increasing common clinical finding presenting to the outpatient clinic. If residual instability and pain is still present after a course of physiotherapy, the patient should be presented with surgical options to restore ankle stability. Several surgical techniques have been described for the treatment of chronic ankle instability. Recently, some authors have developed arthroscopic suture anchor techniques to repair the lateral ankle ligaments with excellent results. The authors’ aim is to give an overview of the various techniques for repair or reconstruction of the lateral ligament complex with special emphasis on the arthroscopic lateral ligament reconstruction. How to cite this article Nag K, Tan KJ. Lateral Ankle Ligament Repair: Evolution of Technique from Open to Arthroscopy. J Foot Ankle Surg (Asia-Pacific) 2014;1(2):65-68.

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011417S0003
Author(s):  
Ashish Shah ◽  
Brent Cone ◽  
Cesar de Cesar Netto ◽  
Ibukunoluwa Araoye ◽  
Parke Hudson ◽  
...  

Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: Ankle sprains are common orthopaedic injuries. Some patients may develop chronic instability, requiring ligament reconstruction surgery. While laxity of the lateral ankle ligaments most commonly contributes to ankle instability, there may be other associated factors such as peroneal pathology or misalignment of the hindfoot that must be addressed. Classically, a small curvilinear incision is made to access the lateral ankle ligaments, and separate incisions are made to address the peroneals, or to perform a calcaneal osteotomy if needed. A more recent method involves making a single longitudinal incision that allows access the lateral ankle ligaments, the peroneals and calcaneus without the need for further incisions. This study evaluates the post-operative complication rates between the single and multiple incision approach for patients undergoing lateral ligament repair. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent ligament reconstruction for lateral ankle instability from 2011 to 2015. A total of 231 patient records were reviewed. Records with insufficient data, patients with history of prior ligament repair and insufficient follow-up (< 1 year) were excluded. A total of 187 patients met inclusion criteria. Complications including chronic pain, sural neuritis, and skin infections were recorded during the follow up period. Demographic data and complication rates between the two groups were compared using chi-squared test. Results: Of the 187 patients, 160 were in the single incision group and 27 in the multiple incision group. Women comprised 69.0 (90/148) percent of the total patient population. There was no significant difference in demographic data between the two groups. There was also no significant difference in the rate of complications between the single incision and multiple incision groups (p= 0.808). The single incision group had a complication rate of 24% (39/160), while the multiple incision group had a complication rate of 22% (6/27). The most frequent complication in both groups was sural neuritis with it comprising 31% (12/39) and 50% (3/6) of the complications in the single and multiple incision groups respectively. Conclusion: Performing a single longitudinal incision for lateral ligament repair, as well as access to the peroneal tendons and calcaneus does not have increased rates of post-operative complications compared to a multiple incision approach. A longitudinal single incision may be performed without concern for increased rates of post-operative complications in lateral ligament repair surgery for chronic ankle instability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0007
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Vopat ◽  
Armin Tarakemeh ◽  
Brandon Morris ◽  
Maaz Hassan ◽  
Pat Garvin ◽  
...  

Category: Ankle, Sports, Post-op protocol Introduction/Purpose: Lateral ankle instability represents a common orthopaedic diagnosis. Nonoperative treatment through focused physical therapy provides satisfactory results in most patients. Some patients, however, experience persistent chronic lateral ankle instability despite appropriate nonoperative treatment. These patients may require stabilization which can include primary lateral ligament repair to restore ankle stability. Optimal post-operative rehabilitation of lateral ankle ligament repairs remains unknown, as surgeon vary in how they balance protection of surgical repair with immobilization with the need for ankle joint mobilization to restore range of motion. The aim of this review is to provide insight into early and delayed mobilization post- operative protocols in patients undergoing primary lateral ankle ligament repairs to determine if an optimal evidence-based post- operative rehabilitation protocol exists in the literature. Methods: Following PRIMSA criteria, a meta-analysis using the PubMed/Ovid Medline database was performed (10/11/1947- 10/16/2017). Manuscripts that were duplicates, non-lateral ligament repair, biomechanical and non-English language were excluded. Protocols were reviewed and divided into two categories; early mobilization (within 3 weeks of surgery) and delayed mobilization (after 4 weeks of surgery). Return to sport, outcome scores (AOFAS, Karlsson scores) and complications of both populations were recorded and statistically analyzed. Results: 31 out of 1,844 studies met the criteria for the final analysis, representing 1,608 patients undergoing primary lateral ligament repair. There was no statistical difference in pre-operative AOFAS scores with delayed mobilization having a score of 67.3 and early mobilization having a score of 67.6 (p<0.639). There was statistical significance in the post-operative AOFAS score comparing delayed mobilization group versus early mobilization group with 91.8 versus 98.8, respectively (p<0.001) and post- operative Karlsson scores with values of 90.0 vs. 92.2 in delayed versus early respectively (p<0.001). Return to sport in the delayed group was 11.8 weeks versus 10.9 in early (p<0.044). No significant difference was found in complication rates between groups with delayed having a rate of 3.7% and early 4.8% (p<0.389). Conclusion: Patients may benefit from early mobilization protocols after lateral ankle ligament repair. The early mobilization protocols group had improved functional outcomes and decreased time until return to sport without a difference in complications. More studies are needed to definitively evaluate early versus delayed rehabilitation protocols due to heterogeneity of the studies.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107110072110041
Author(s):  
Ezra Goodrich ◽  
Matthew L. Vopat ◽  
Jordan Baker ◽  
Armin Tarakemeh ◽  
Kimberly Templeton ◽  
...  

Background: Chronic ankle instability is a common condition that can be treated with lateral ankle ligament repair. These procedures have a reported success rate greater than 85% in the literature, but little has been reported about the differences in postoperative outcomes between males and females. The purpose of this study was to evaluate sex-specific outcomes following lateral ankle ligament repair. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses criteria to search for articles on electronic databases and included studies in which study participants underwent primary lateral ligament repair and sex-specific outcomes were evaluated. Functional postoperative outcomes for males and females were recorded and statistically analyzed. Results: Out of 2768 studies, 7 (0.25%) met inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this review. These studies included 618 patients (402 males [65%] and 216 females [35%]) who underwent primary lateral ligament repair for ankle instability. Karlsson score ( P = .1582) and American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) score ( P = .1586) analyses found no statistically significant difference between males and females. Postoperative success rate—defined as a “good” or “excellent” Karlsson score (>81)—was not found to be significantly different between males and females ( P = .9374). Conclusion: There was no difference in postoperative mean Karlsson scores, AOFAS scores, or success rates between males and females who underwent primary lateral ankle ligament repair. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (7_suppl5) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0032
Author(s):  
G. Matthew Heenan ◽  
Kisan B. Parikh ◽  
Armin Tarakemeh ◽  
Scott M. Mullen ◽  
John Paul Schroeppel ◽  
...  

Objectives: Lateral ankle ligament stabilization may be performed with concomitant arthroscopy. Arthroscopy has been shown to aid in the diagnosis of intra-articular defects that often accompany lateral ankle ligament injuries. This study compares the differences in cost, complications, newly diagnosed intra-articular defects, and reoperations among patients with ankle sprain/chronic instability who underwent lateral ankle ligament repair/reconstruction with or without concomitant arthroscopic procedures. Methods: Data was collected from the PearlDiver Technologies Humana dataset using CPT and ICD9/10 codes. Patients included in this study (n=2,188) had records of ankle sprain or ankle instability prior to or on the same day as one of two procedures: lateral ankle ligament repair (n=1,141) or lateral ankle ligament reconstruction (n=1,063). This population was subdivided by whether patients had records of arthroscopic procedure(s) on the same day as the ligament surgery. This yielded four groups: repair with arthroscopy (n=219), repair without arthroscopy (n=922), reconstruction with arthroscopy (n=325), reconstruction without arthroscopy (n=738). Cost, complications, newly diagnosed intra-articular defects, and reoperations were assessed. Results: Average cost per patient was higher for both arthroscopy groups: repair with arthroscopy ($6,207.78) versus repair without arthroscopy ($3,677.11; p < 0.0001); reconstruction with arthroscopy ($5,758.21) versus reconstruction without arthroscopy ($4,601.13; p = 0.0039). There was a significantly higher proportion of patients with complications in the reconstruction without arthroscopy group than in the reconstruction with arthroscopy group (7.59%, 4.31%; p = 0.0431), but the difference between repair groups was insignificant (p = 0.0626). The proportion of patients with newly diagnosed intra-articular defects was significantly higher in both arthroscopy groups: repair with arthroscopy (53.0%) versus repair without arthroscopy (35.6%; p < 0.0001); reconstruction with arthroscopy (56.0%) versus reconstruction without arthroscopy (39.8%; p < 0.0001). There was a significantly higher proportion of patients who underwent reoperation for intra-articular defects in the combined (repair plus reconstruction) arthroscopy group (7.18%) than in the combined non-arthroscopy groups (4.91%; p = 0.049). Most importantly, the average time until reoperation for intra-articular defects was significantly shorter in the combined arthroscopy group (271.923 days) than in the combined non-arthroscopy group (411.473 days; p = 0.024). Conclusion: Concomitant arthroscopy with lateral ankle ligament surgery is more expensive but does not appear to increase the overall complication rate and may allow surgeons to diagnose and treat more intra-articular pathology. Among patients requiring reoperation for intra-articular defects, the average time to reoperation was nearly 5 months shorter for patients receiving arthroscopy than for patients who did not receive arthroscopy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0042
Author(s):  
Go Sato ◽  
Jirawat Saengsin ◽  
Rohan Bhimani ◽  
Noortje Hagemeijer ◽  
Bart Lubberts ◽  
...  

Category: Ankle; Arthroscopy; Sports; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Numerous studies have shown a high incidence of associated lateral ankle and syndesmotic ligamentous injuries. It is unclear, however, if there is a direct contribution of the lateral ligaments towards stabilizing the syndesmosis. Using arthroscopy, we assessed to what extent lateral ankle ligaments contribute to syndesmotic stability in the coronal and sagittal plane. Our hypothesis was that lateral ankle ligament injury has effect on syndesmosis instability. Methods: Sixteen fresh frozen above-knee amputated cadaveric specimens were divided into two groups that underwent arthroscopic evaluation for syndesmotic stability. In both the groups, the assessment was done with all syndesmotic and ankle ligaments intact and later with sequential transection of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL), the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL), the posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL), anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL), the interosseous ligament (IOL) and the posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (PITFL). In all scenarios, coronal and sagittal loading conditions were considered under 100N of direct force to fibula. The measurements of the distal tibiofibular coronal plane space at the anterior and posterior third of syndesmosis were performed using arthroscopic probes with increment of 0.2mm diameter. Further the sagittal translation were measured by arthroscopic scaled probe. Dunnett test was used to compare the findings of each ligamentous transection state to the intact state. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significantly defferent. Results: Compared with the intact ligamentous state, there was no difference in coronal and sagittal stability when the lateral ankle ligaments (ATFL, CFL, PTFL) and AITFL were transected (Table1 and 2, Group1). However, after subsequent transection of the IOL, or after transection of the lateral ankle ligaments (ATFL, CFL or and PTFL) alongside the AITFL and IOL, both coronal space and sagittal translation increased as compared with the intact state (p-values p<0.001 respectively) (Table1 and 2, Group2). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that lateral ankle ligaments do not directly contribute to syndesmotic stability in the coronal and sagittal plane. In concomitant acute syndesmotic and lateral ligament injury, surgeons should pay attention to whether there is combined IOL injury to determine the fixation of syndesmosis. [Table: see text][Table: see text]


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 141-148
Author(s):  
Matthew Vopat ◽  
Alexander Wendling ◽  
Brennan Lee ◽  
Maaz Hassan ◽  
Brandon Morris ◽  
...  

Introduction. Lateral ankle instability represents a common orthopaedic diagnosis. Nonoperative treatment through focused physical therapy provides satisfactory results in most patients. However, some patients experience persistent chronic lateral ankle instability despite appropriate nonoperative treatment. These patients may require stabilization which can include primary lateral ligament reconstruction with a graft to restore ankle stability. Optimal post-operative rehabilitation of lateral ankle ligament reconstruction remains unknown, as surgeons vary in how long they immobilize their patients post-operatively. The aim of this review is to provide insight into early mobilization (EM) versus delayed mobilization (DM) post-operative protocols in patients undergoing primary lateral ankle ligament reconstructions to determine if an optimal evidence-based post-operative rehabilitation protocol exists in the literature. Methods. Following PRIMSA criteria, a systematic review/meta-analysis using the PubMed/Ovid Medline database was performed (10/11/1947-1/28/2020). Manuscripts that were duplicates, non-lateral ligament repair, biomechanical and non-English language were excluded. Protocols were reviewed and divided into two categories; early mobilization (within 3 weeks of surgery) and delayed mobilization (after 3 weeks of surgery). Functional outcome scores (AOFAS, Karlsson scores), radiographic measurements (anterior drawer, talar tilt) and complications evaluated using weighted mean differences (pre- and post-operative scores) and mixed-effect models. Results. After our search, we found 12 out of 1,574 studies that met the criteria for the final analysis, representing 399 patients undergoing lateral ankle reconstruction. Using weighted mean differences the DM group showed superior AOFAS functional scores compared to the EM group; 28.0 (5.5) vs. 26.3 (0.0) respectively, p < 0.001; although sample size was small. Conversely, no significant differences were found for Karlsson functional score (p = 0.246). With regards to radiographic outcome, no significant differences were observed; anterior drawer was p = 0.244 and talar tilt was p = 0.937. A meta-analysis using mixed-effects models confirmed these results, although heterogeneity was high. Conclusions. While there were some conflicting results, findings suggest that EM post-operative protocols for patients undergoing lateral ankle ligament reconstruction may not compromise functional outcomes or post-operative stability. Because heterogeneity was high, future studies are still needed to evaluate these protocols in less diverse patient groups and/or more consistent techniques for lateral ankle ligament reconstruction.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0044
Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Shimozono ◽  
Eoghan Hurley ◽  
John Kennedy

Category: Ankle Introduction/Purpose: There has a been recent increase in the use of the arthroscopic approach to lateral ankle ligament repair for chronic lateral ankle instability. However, the clinical outcomes of this technique are still unclear. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the current studies on arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament repair for chronic lateral ankle instability. Our hypothesis was that arthroscopic lateral ligament repair would result in excellent outcomes with a low complication rate. Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases, based on the PRISMA guidelines, was performed during August 2017 by 2 independent reviewers. Included studies were evaluated with regard to level of evidence (LOE) and quality of evidence (QOE) using the Coleman Methodology Score. Variable reporting outcome data, clinical outcomes, and percentage of patients who returned to sport at previous level were also evaluated. Results: Twelve studies for a total of 421 ankles were included; 92% of studies were LOE III or IV and the QOE in all studies was of poor or fair quality. The weighted mean preoperative AOFAS score improved from 59.6 to 95.0 at a mean follow-up of 14.8 months in 8 studies. Five studies utilized Karlsson-Peterson scores with mean postoperative score of 88.5 at a mean follow-up of 21.2 months. Three comparative studies were reported. The comparative studies showed similar clinical outcomes between arthroscopic and open procedures. The overall complication rate was 13.4% in the included studies. . Only 2 studies reported patients returning to sport and demonstrated that 100% of patients returned to sport at pre-injury level. Conclusion: The current systematic review demonstrated that arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament repair yields favorable clinical outcomes in the short-term. However, there is no clinical evidence to support the advantages of the arthroscopic procedure over the open procedure, and there is no long-term data currently available for the arthroscopic procedure. There was a relatively high complication rate associated with the arthroscopic procedures, with a 13.4% complication rate, although recent comparative studies demonstrated similar complication rates for both open and arthroscopic techniques.


Author(s):  
Ieva Masiulytė ◽  
Vygintė Gasiulytė ◽  
Giedrė Jurgelaitienė

Background. Lateral ankle ligament injuries are most common in sports, which affects athletes in all ages. It has been found that lateral ankle ligaments are injured in 1 of 10000 physically active people. Higher sports level professional players and amateurs need to return to sport early with no physical, psychological and economic consequences. Studies search for the most effective treatment after lateral ankle ligament injuries. Research aim – to perform a systematic review and determine the effect of early physiotherapy on pain and function after lateral ankle ligament injury. Methods. We conducted literature search using the Pubmed, Ebsco, Pedro, Google scholar databases, and chose controlled trials where early physiotherapy orientated to pain and function was used. Results. In control groups where traditional immobilization with RICE method was used, pain decreased to 1.96 ± 1.33 points, in the intervention groups who had early physiotherapy and RICE method, pain decreased to 1.53 ± 1.23 points. Effect size in control groups was r = 0.55 points, in the intervention groups it was r = 0.54 points. In control groups who had traditional immobilization with RICE method, function increased to 68.67 ± 16.79 point, in the intervention groups who had early physiotherapy and RICE method, function increased to 75.61 ± 13.27 points. Effect size in control groups was r = 0.82 points, in the intervention groups r = 0.88 point. Conclusions. Early physiotherapy orientated to pain and functions after lateral ankle ligaments injury helps to reduce pain faster and increases function, and helps return back to work and sports activities.Keywords: lateral ankle ligament, injuries, early physiotherapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0038
Author(s):  
Yoshiharu Shimozono ◽  
Alexandra J Brown ◽  
Eoghan T Hurley ◽  
John G Kennedy

Category: Ankle, Arthroscopy, Sports Introduction/Purpose: Open modified Broström-Gould procedure is generally accepted as the gold-standard treatment for chronic lateral ankle instability. Recently an arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament repair technique has become increasingly popular in an effort to reduce post-operative pain and facilitate early recovery. The purpose of the current systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence on arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament repair techniques and to compare the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic and open techniques for chronic lateral ankle instability with meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was performed during August 2017. Included studies were evaluated with regard to level of evidence (LOE) and quality of evidence (QOE) using the Coleman Methodology Score. Variable reporting outcome data, clinical outcomes, and percentage of patients who returned to sport at previous level were also evaluated. Comparative studies were compared using RevMan version 5.3, and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Twelve studies for a total of 421 ankles were included; 92% of studies were LOE III or IV and the QOE in all studies was of poor or fair quality. There were three comparative studies of open and arthroscopic repair procedures, with two Level III studies and one Level I study. There was a significant difference in favor of arthroscopic repair at final follow-up for the Karlsson- Peterson score (MD; 2.59, 95%CI, -0.19 to 2.36, I2=0%, p=0.10) and the AOFAS score (MD; 1.50, 95%CI, 0.41 to 2.59, I2=0%, p=0.007) in the comparative studies. The overall complication rate was 13.4% in the included studies but in the comparative studies there was no statistically significant difference between open and arthroscopic repair (12.1% vs 11.4%, p=0.90). Conclusion: The current systematic review demonstrated that arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament repair may yield favorable clinical outcomes and may be superior to open procedure in the short-term, but there is no clinical evidence to support the advantages of the arthroscopic procedure over the open procedure in the mid- long-term follow-up. There was a relatively high complication rate associated with the arthroscopic procedures, with a 13.4% complication rate, although recent comparative studies demonstrated similar complication rates.


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