Anterior Talofibular Ligament All-Inside Arthroscopic Reconstruction with InternalBrace™ for Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability.

BACKGROUND Anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) is the most easily injured or even broken of ankle sprain. Patients who fail to receive conservative treatment, resulting in persistent ankle swelling, painful and functional decline that it is so-called chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI). It makes sense to investigate all-inside arthroscopic reconstruction of ATFL with InternalBrace™ for CLAI. MATERIAL AND METHODS We included 108 patients who underwent all-inside arthroscopic ATFL reconstruction with InternalBrace™ for CLAI from January 2018 to April 2020 through a retrospective study. Patients age ranged from 19 to 58 years (mean 35.6±8.7 years). Several elements are used to evaluate the clinical consequences of ankle function, including the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), Japanese Society for Surgery of the Foot Ankle-Hindfoot (JSSF), Kofoed, Tegner scores and complications, and the tilt angle of talus (TT) and the anterior displacement of talus (ADT) with stressing radiographs were taken to measure in follow-ups. RESULTS All 108 patients had all-inside arthroscopic procedures performed smoothly without serious complications. During the follow-up period (26.7±2.6 months on average), no recurrence of ankle instability and other serious complications happened. The AOFAS, JSSF, Kofoed, and Tegner scores significantly increased as time went by postoperatively, which proved statistically significant (P<0.01). Regarding stress-radiographic measurements, TT significantly decreased from (9.5±1.1)° preoperatively to (2.6±0.6)° at the latest follow-up (P<0.01), while ADT significantly decreased from (9.5±1.0) mm preoperatively to (2.6±0.6) mm at the latest examination (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS All-inside arthroscopic ATFL reconstruction with the InternalBrace™ for CLAI is beneficial for ankle stability, allowing earlier return to activities.

Comparison of Arthroscopic Surgery Versus Open Surgical Repair of the Anterior Talofibular Ligament: A Retrospective Study of 80 Patients from a Single Center.

BACKGROUND This retrospective study from a single center aimed to compare the safety and clinical outcomes of arthroscopic surgery vs open surgical repair of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly divided 80 patients with ATFL injury divided into 2 groups: an open surgery group and an arthroscopic group. The operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and the postoperative recovery time of all patients were analyzed. The anterior displacement and talus tilt angle, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Score (AOFAS), the Jersey Shore Science Fair (JSSF) ankle-hindfoot scale score, and the Karlsson Ankle Functional Score (KAFS) were compared at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. We collected data on the incidence of postoperative complications during follow-up. All significant results were supported with a P value. RESULTS The operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and postoperative recovery time in the arthroscopic group were better than in the open group (P<0.05). The AOFAS, JSSF, and KAFS in the arthroscopic group were better than in the open group at 6 months after the operation (P<0.05). The AOFAS, JSSF, and KAFS scale scores were not significantly different between the 2 groups at 1 year and 2 years after the operation (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The findings from this retrospective study showed that the use of arthroscopic surgical repair of the ATFL is a safe minimally invasive technique with reduced blood loss and surgical duration and good clinical outcomes.