MRI appearance of the lateral fibulotalocalcaneal ligament complex injury in the patients with chronic lateral ankle instability

Tomoyuki Nakasa; Yasunari Ikuta; Junichi Sumii; Akinori Nekomoto; Shingo Kawabata; Nobuo Adachi

doi:10.1016/j.fas.2022.01.009

MRI appearance of the lateral fibulotalocalcaneal ligament complex injury in the patients with chronic lateral ankle instability

Foot Ankle Surg. 2022 Oct;28(7):968-974. doi: 10.1016/j.fas.2022.01.009. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Authors

Tomoyuki Nakasa¹, Yasunari Ikuta², Junichi Sumii², Akinori Nekomoto², Shingo Kawabata², Nobuo Adachi²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan; Medical Center for Translational and Clinical Research, Hiroshima University Hospital, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. Electronic address: tn618@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minamiku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan.

PMID: 35105518
DOI: 10.1016/j.fas.2022.01.009

Abstract

Background: The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) comprises the superior and inferior fascicles. The inferior fascicle is connected to the calcaneofibular ligament, and forms "lateral fibulotalocalcaneal ligament (LFTCL) complex". This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of diagnosing LFTCL complex injuries in patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI).

Methods: Forty-eight ankles (35 with CLAI and 13 without CLAI) underwent arthroscopic surgery, and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted with 0.8 mm- thick axial and oblique slices. The diagnostic accuracy of injuries to the superior fascicle and LFTCL complex was evaluated by two observers.

Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the LFTCL complex injury were 94.7% and 92.3% for observer 1 and 84.2% and 84.6% for observer 2, respectively.

Conclusions: MRI with 0.8 mm slices could detect LFTCL complex injury in patients with CLAI. Diagnosing the LFTCL complex injury on MRI will improve outcomes of an arthroscopic isolated ATFL repair.

Keywords: Anterior talofibular ligament; Calcaneofibular ligament; Chronic lateral ankle instability; MRI.

MeSH terms

Ankle
Ankle Injuries* / diagnostic imaging
Ankle Injuries* / surgery
Ankle Joint / diagnostic imaging
Ankle Joint / surgery
Humans
Joint Instability* / diagnostic imaging
Joint Instability* / surgery
Lateral Ligament, Ankle* / diagnostic imaging
Lateral Ligament, Ankle* / injuries
Lateral Ligament, Ankle* / surgery
Magnetic Resonance Imaging