Arthroscopic repair of chronic ankle instability: preliminary results

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of arthroscopic Brostrom technique in the treatment of chronic ankle instability. Methods Seventeen patients with chronic ankle instability were treated at Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Wuhan Fourth Hospital from March to December 2016. They were 5 males and 12 females, aged from 18 to 52 years (mean, 28 years). The ankle instability confirmed preop-eratively involved the left side in 9 cases and the right side in 8 ones. Arthroscopic Brostrom technique was used to repair the anterior talofibular ligament. All the patients were evaluated preoperatively and at the last follow-up using American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and visual analogue scale (VAS). The talar tilt angle and anterior translation were also assessed radiographically in pre-and postoper-ative ankle stress views. Results They obtained a mean follow-up of 12 months (range, from 10 to 18 months). Wound infection occurred in none of the patients; paresthesia appeared in the superficial fibular nerve area in one case which was recovered spontaneously. At the last follow-up, their AOFAS scores were improved from preoperative 47.5±3.4 to 95.7±2.1, VAS pain scores were decreased from preoperative 5.7±1.8 to 1.6±1.4, anterior talar translation was reduced from preoperative 10.12±3.23 mm to 4.02±1.68 mm, and talar tilt angle decreased from 15.20°±3.43° to 6.02°±2.64°. All the above differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). Conclusion Arthroscopic Brostrom technique may be consid-ered as a valid option for treatment of chronic ankle instability, because it can well restore the stability of ankle joint and lead to satisfactory short-term results. Key words: Ankle; Arthroscopy; Ligaments; Wounds and injuries