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More patients with low signal intensity of the anterior talofibular ligament returned to sport after repair
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Better clinical outcomes, which included a greater percentage of patients who returned to sport, were seen after repair for chronic ankle instability in patients with low signal intensity in the anterior talofibular ligament based on preoperative MRI, according to recently published results.
Researchers performed a preliminary study to measure anterior talofibular ligament signal/noise ratio on preoperative MRI. They then retrospectively studied outcomes of patients who underwent open repair of the anterior talofibular ligament. Thirty-seven patients had a high signal/noise ratio and 33 patients had a low signal/noise ratio. Functional scores compared between the high signal/noise ratio and low signal/noise ratio groups included the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score, Karlsson Ankle Functional Score (KAFS) and Tegner Activity Scale.
Results showed the groups were not significantly different preoperatively with regard to AOFAS score, KAFS or Tegner Activity Scale. At the final follow-up, the mean standard deviation AOFAS score in patients with low signal/noise ratio was higher than patients with a higher signal/noise ratio (92 vs. 87). However, postoperatively, there was no significant difference between the groups for this measure. The mean KAFS score was significantly higher in patients with low signal/noise ratio vs. high signal/noise ratio patients postoperatively (94 vs. 88). The mean Tegner score at the final follow-up was significantly higher in patients with low signal/noise ratio compared with those with high signal/noise ratio (6 vs. 5). A significantly greater percentage of sports participation was seen in patients with a low signal/noise ratio compared with patients who had a high signal/noise ratio (91% vs. 65%). – by Monica Jaramillo
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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