Abstract
Anterolateral ankle impingement is due to entrapment of pathological tissues in the
anterolateral aspect of the joint. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results
of arthroscopic diagnosis and treatment of anterolateral ankle impingement. Twenty
patients with anterolateral ankle impingement who had arthroscopic debridement were
included in this prospective study, including 16 men and 4 women with a mean age of
35.8 years. Synovial hypertrophy was found in 13 patients, impinging distal fascicle
of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament in 2 patients, torn anterior inferior
tibiofibular ligament in 3 patients, and fibrofatty scar tissue in 2 patients. Seven
patients had associated talar cartilage damage. Four patients had additional inversion
injuries after the arthroscopic procedures. Final results were excellent in 11 patients,
good in 6 patients, fair in 2 patients, and poor in 1 patient. One of the 7 patients
with cartilage damage had excellent results, 5 patients had good results, and the
remaining patient had fair results. Two of the 3 patients with complete tear of the
anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament had fair results, and the other had a poor
result. One of the 4 patients with additional inversion injuries had good results,
2 had fair results, and 1 had a poor result. In conclusion, ankle arthroscopy is useful
in the diagnosis and treatment of anterolateral ankle impingement. Factors that negatively
affect final outcome are associated chondral lesions of the talus, associated syndesmotic
lesions, and new inversion injuries after the arthroscopic procedure.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 29, 2010
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: None reported.
Conflict of Interest: None reported.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
