Searching for consensus in the approach to patients with chronic lateral ankle instability: ask the expert.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to propose recommendations for the treatment of patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CAI) based on expert opinions. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to 32 orthopaedic surgeons with clinical and scientific experience in the treatment of CAI. The questions were related to preoperative imaging, indications and timing of surgery, technical choices, and the influence of patient-related aspects. RESULTS: Thirty of the 32 invited surgeons (94%) responded. Consensus was found on several aspects of treatment. Preoperative MRI was routinely recommended. Surgery was considered in patients with functional ankle instability after 3-6 months of non-surgical treatment. Ligament repair is still the treatment of choice in patients with mechanical instability; however, in patients with generalized laxity or poor ligament quality, lateral ligament reconstruction (with grafting) of both the ATFL and CFL should be considered. CONCLUSIONS: Most surgeons request an MRI during the preoperative planning. There is a trend towards earlier surgical treatment (after failure of non-surgical treatment) in patients with mechanical ligament laxity (compared with functional instability) and in high-level athletes. This study proposes an assessment and a treatment algorithm that may be used as a recommendation in the treatment of patients with CAI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V.

Arthroscopic Surgical Technique for Lateral Ankle Ligament Instability.

In the past several years, arthroscopic repair of the lateral ankle ligaments has grown because it has shown comparable results with the traditional open Brostrom-Gould procedure. In addition, arthroscopic repair allows reduced swelling and cosmesis. This article discusses the authors' technique for lateral ankle instability, with published data supporting biomechanical equivalency to the standard open Brostrom-Gould procedure. An optional internal brace can provide further strength to the repair and lead to a quicker recovery. Arthroscopic repair both with and without the internal brace have shown positive clinical outcomes for patients as well as high satisfaction rates.

Technique for Arthroscopic Deltoid Ligament Repair With Description of Safe Zones.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, expert opinion.

Arthroscopic Treatment of Ankle Instability: Brostrom.

Over the last 10 years, significant advances have been made and successful techniques have now been developed that effectively treat ankle instability via the arthroscope.Currently arthroscopic lateral ligament repair techniques can be grouped into "arthroscopic-assisted techniques," "all-arthroscopic techniques," and "all-inside techniques." Recent studies have proven these arthroscopic techniques to be a simple, safe, and biomechanically equivalent, stable alternative to open Brostrom Gould lateral ligament reconstruction.

Ankle instability and arthroscopic lateral ligament repair.

Over the last 50 years, the surgical management of chronic lateral ankle ligament insufficiency has focused on 2 main categories: local soft-tissue reconstruction and tendon grafts/transfer procedures. There is an increasing interest in the arthroscopic solutions for chronic instability of the ankle. Recent biomechanical studies suggest the at least one of the arthroscopic techniques can provide equivalent results to current open local soft-tissue reconstruction (such as the modified Brostrom technique). Arthroscopic lateral ankle ligament reconstruction is becoming an increasingly acceptable method for the surgical management of chronic lateral ankle instability.

Arthroscopic brostrom technique.

UNLABELLED: Surgical strategy regarding chronic lateral ankle instability is undergoing an evolution from traditional open procedures to minimally invasive and arthroscopic techniques. The development of arthroscopic techniques for the ankle mirrors the processes witnessed for the shoulder and knee over the last 30 years. The arthroscopic Brostrom is a novel technique that allows the surgeon to use an arthroscope to perform a lateral ankle ligament reconstruction that was previously thought possible only through open surgical technique. Indications and contraindications for the arthroscopic technique are essentially the same as those for an open Brostrom type of procedure. The arthroscopic Brostrom procedure is easy to remember and relatively simple to perform for the surgeon who has mastered basic ankle arthroscopy. The authors' results discussed in this article reveal that the arthroscopic Brostrom is a safe and effective procedure with outcomes at least equal to published results for traditional open techniques. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, expert opinion.

Biomechanical Analysis of an Arthroscopic Broström Ankle Ligament Repair and a Suture Anchor-Augmented Repair.

BACKGROUND: Secondary surgical repair of ankle ligaments is often indicated in cases of chronic lateral ankle instability. Recently, arthroscopic Broström techniques have been described, but biomechanical information is limited. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the biomechanical properties of an arthroscopic Broström repair and augmented repair with a proximally placed suture anchor. It was hypothesized that the arthroscopic Broström repairs would compare favorably to open techniques and that augmentation would increase the mean repair strength at time zero. METHODS: Twenty (10 matched pairs) fresh-frozen foot and ankle cadaveric specimens were obtained. After sectioning of the lateral ankle ligaments, an arthroscopic Broström procedure was performed on each ankle using two 3.0-mm suture anchors with #0 braided polyethylene/polyester multifilament sutures. One specimen from each pair was augmented with a 2.9-mm suture anchor placed 3 cm proximal to the inferior tip of the lateral malleolus. Repairs were isolated and positioned in 20 degrees of inversion and 10 degrees of plantarflexion and loaded to failure using a dynamic tensile testing machine. Maximum load (N), stiffness (N/mm), and displacement at maximum load (mm) were recorded. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between standard arthroscopic repairs and the augmented repairs for mean maximum load and stiffness (154.4 ± 60.3 N, 9.8 ± 2.6 N/mm vs 194.2 ± 157.7 N, 10.5 ± 4.7 N/mm, P = .222, P = .685). CONCLUSIONS: Repair augmentation did not confer a significantly higher mean strength or stiffness at time zero. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Mean strength and stiffness for the arthroscopic Broström repair compared favorably with previous similarly tested open repair and reconstruction methods, validating the clinical feasibility of an arthroscopic repair. However, augmentation with an additional proximal suture anchor did not significantly strengthen the repair.

Arthroscopic suture anchor repair of the lateral ligament ankle complex: a cadaveric study.

BACKGROUND: Operative treatment of mechanical ankle instability is indicated for patients with multiple sprains and continued episodes of instability. Open repair of the lateral ankle ligaments involves exposure of the attenuated ligaments and advancement back to their anatomic insertions on the fibula using bone tunnels or suture implants. HYPOTHESIS: Open and arthroscopic fixation are equal in strength to failure for anatomic Broström repair. STUDY DESIGN: Controlled laboratory study. METHODS: Seven matched pairs of human cadaveric ankle specimens were randomized into 2 groups of anatomic Broström repair: open or arthroscopic. The calcaneofibular ligament and anterior talofibular ligament were excised from their origin on the fibula. In the open repair group, 2 suture anchors were used to reattach the ligaments to their anatomic origins. In the arthroscopic repair group, identical suture anchors were used for repair via an arthroscopic technique. The ligaments were cyclically loaded 20 times and then tested to failure. Torque to failure, degrees to failure, initial stiffness, and working stiffness were measured. A matched-pair analysis was performed. Power analysis of 0.8 demonstrated that 7 pairs needed to show a difference of 30%, with a 15% standard error at a significance level of α = .05. RESULTS: There was no difference in the degrees to failure, torque to failure, or stiffness for the repaired ligament complex. Nine of 14 specimens failed at the suture anchor. CONCLUSION: There is no statistical difference in strength or stiffness of a traditional open repair as compared with an arthroscopic anatomic repair of the lateral ligaments of the ankle. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: An arthroscopic technique can be considered for lateral ligament stabilization in patients with mild to moderate mechanical instability.