[Injuries of the medial collateral ligament and spring ligament complexes]

Bone marrow edema at ligament insertion is an accurate MRI sign of deltoid ligament injury

BACKGROUND

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is effective in diagnosing deltoid ligament (DL) injury but its sensitivity in chronic cases is low. Additional diagnostic signs are required to reduce the risk of a false negative diagnosis.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the added diagnostic value of bone marrow edema at the ligament insertion (BMELI) of DL to the MRI assessment of chronic DL injury.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred patients who consecutively came to our institution between November 2018 and December 2021 and underwent arthroscopic surgery for chronic ankle instability (CAI) were enrolled in the present study. Preoperative MR images were retrospectively reviewed by two orthopedic surgeons to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and interobserver reliability of three MRI signs in diagnosing chronic DL injury, namely, abnormal ligamentous morphological characteristics (ALMC), BMELI and medial clear space (MCS).

RESULTS

Taking arthroscopy as the reference standard, there were 34 patients with and 66 without DL injury. ALMC had 64.71% (22/34; 46.47-79.70) sensitivity and 83.33% (55/66; 71.71-91.00) specificity, BMELI had 70.59% (24/34; 52.33-84.29) sensitivity and 95.45% (63/66; 86.44-98.82) specificity and MCS had 26.47% (9/34; 13.51-44.65) sensitivity and 92.42% (61/66; 82.50-97.18) specificity. Compared with ALMC, BMELI had similar efficacy in superficial cases (P = 0.06) and greater efficacy in deep cases (P = 0.04). All three signs showed good interobserver agreement (kappa values all above 0.7).

CONCLUSION

BMELI can reliably indicate concomitant injury to the DL in CAI patients. Using BMELI as a sign of chronic DL injury when ALMC is unclear may reduce the risk of a false negative diagnosis.

Treatment concepts for pes valgoplanus with concomitant changes of the ankle joint : Tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis, total ankle replacement and joint-preserving surgery

Concomitant valgus deformities of the ankle joint are found in approximately 3% of patients with symptomatic flat foot deformities. Conservative treatment is mostly successful only in the short term or in low-demand patients. The operative treatment of flat foot deformities follows the standard algorithm for flat foot treatment. The ankle joint can be treated while retaining mobility or by arthrodesis depending on the degree and rigidity of the deformity, degenerative changes, patient factors and expectations. Achieving an orthograde hindfoot and midfoot is obligatory for successful treatment as well as in ankle reconstructive or arthrodesis procedures.

[Ligamentous ankle injury: an underestimated trauma?]

Ligamentous injuries of the ankle joint are among the most common injuries in sports, with landing on the opponent's foot or direct contact counting among the most common injury mechanisms. Initial measures most notably include a clinical examination, supplemented by X-rays, sonography or MRI as required. In most cases, conservative treatment is the treatment of choice. At the beginning, pain and swelling have to be reduced. Then function must be regained before patients may return to sports after a return-to-play test. Some injury patterns are more complex with concomitant injuries, and despite all the success of conservative treatment, certain cases remain the preserve of surgery. Not only the downtime of athletes, the severity of long-term damage and chronic functional limitations, but also the associated costs for treatment suggest the recommendation that ankle joint injuries should not be underestimated and adequate treatment should be selected.