To evaluate the applicability of MRI for the quantitative assessment
of anterior talofibular ligaments (ATFLs) in symptomatic chronic
ankle instability (CAI). Between 1997 and 2010, 39 patients with symptomatic CAI underwent
surgical treatment (22 male, 17 female, mean age 25.4 years (15
to 40)). In all patients, the maximum diameters of the ATFLs were
measured on pre-operative T2-weighted MR images in planes parallel
to the path of the ATFL. They were classified into three groups based
on a previously published method with modifications: ‘normal’, diameter
= 1.0 - 3.2 mm; ‘thickened’, diameter >
3.2 mm; ‘thin or absent’,
diameter <
1.0 mm. Stress radiography was performed with the
maximum manual force in inversion under general anaesthesia immediately
prior to surgery. In surgery, ATFLs were macroscopically divided
into two categories: ‘thickened’, an obvious thickened ligament
and ‘thin or absent’. The imaging results were compared with the
macroscopic results that are considered to be of a gold standard.Objectives
Methods
The February 2013 Foot &
Ankle Roundup360 looks at: replacement in osteonecrosis of the talus; ankle instability in athletes; long-term follow-up of lateral ankle ligament reconstruction; an operation for Stage II TPD; whether you should operate on Achilles tendon ruptures; Weil osteotomies and Freiberg’s disease; MRI scanning not sensitive for intra-articular lesions; and single-stage debridement and reconstruction in Charcot feet.
