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BACKGROUND This retrospective study from a single center aimed to compare the safety and clinical outcomes of arthroscopic surgery vs open surgical repair of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). MATERIAL AND METHODS We randomly divided 80 patients with ATFL injury divided into 2 groups: an open surgery group and an arthroscopic group. The operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and the postoperative recovery time of all patients were analyzed. The anterior displacement and talus tilt angle, the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot Score (AOFAS), the Jersey Shore Science Fair (JSSF) ankle-hindfoot scale score, and the Karlsson Ankle Functional Score (KAFS) were compared at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. We collected data on the incidence of postoperative complications during follow-up. All significant results were supported with a P value. RESULTS The operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, and postoperative recovery time in the arthroscopic group were better than in the open group (P<0.05). The AOFAS, JSSF, and KAFS in the arthroscopic group were better than in the open group at 6 months after the operation (P<0.05). The AOFAS, JSSF, and KAFS scale scores were not significantly different between the 2 groups at 1 year and 2 years after the operation (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The findings from this retrospective study showed that the use of arthroscopic surgical repair of the ATFL is a safe minimally invasive technique with reduced blood loss and surgical duration and good clinical outcomes.

Abstract: To analyze the efficacy of arthrodesis with Ilizarov external fixator for the treatment of end-stage ankle osteoarthritis.This retrospective study included 88 patients with end-stage (stage-3) ankle osteoarthritis according to Morrey-Wiedeman classification who underwent arthrodesis with Ilizarov external fixator from January 2016 to January 2019. There were 47 males and 41 females with a mean age of (57.21 ± 7.12) years old (range 49-76). Outcomes were measured by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle society (AOFAS) Ankle Hindfoot Scale, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain scores, complications, subjective satisfaction, ankle function, correction of deformity, and complications.With an average follow-up of (13.50 ± 5.41) months (range 10-21), all 88 patients returned for final follow-up. All patients achieved bony healing with a success rate of 100%. Mean postoperative healing time (3.56 ± 1.04) months (range 3-6). Two patients developed sinus tract infection, delayed healing in 1 patient, and 2 patients had pain and swelling again in the ankle joint. No serious complications occurred in other patients. All the patients evaluated with the VAS scores and AOFAS scores at final follow-up showed significant improvement (P < .05). Through imaging analysis, medical tibial talar angle (MTTA) improved from (85.76 ± 6.01) degrees to (88.98 ± 1.35) degrees postoperative. Lateral talar station (LTS) decreased from (5.32 ± 3.81) mm to (2.71 ± 2.62) mm after operation (P < .05). The overall satisfaction of patients is 88.64%.In the treatment of end-stage ankle osteoarthritis, arthrodesis with Ilizarov external fixator can achieve good radiological and clinical outcomes with low prevalence of ankle joint malalignment and high fusion rates and satisfaction., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

BACKGROUND Ankle sprains with distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injuries (DTSIs) require anatomic reduction and fixation to restore the normal biomechanics of the ankle joint. In the last decade, dynamic fixation (DF) for DTSIs using a suture-button device has gained popularity because of its advantages over static fixation (SF). MATERIAL AND METHODS The present meta-analysis was conducted to compare clinical outcomes between DF and SF of DTSIs. PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Embase were systematically searched. Three randomized controlled studies and 7 cohort studies, with a total of 420 patients, were involved in this study. DTSIs patients treated with DF were assigned to the experimental group, and patients treated with SF were assigned to the control group. Outcomes were evaluated and analyzed by using review-manager software. Mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was analyzed and calculated by utilizing the random effects models. RESULTS Analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between DF and SF in American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot score (MD, 1.90; 95% CI, -0.23-4.03; p=0.08; I²=0%), Olerud-Molander score (MD, 1.92; 95% CI, -7.96-11.81; p=0.70; I²=55%), incidence of syndesmotic malreduction (RR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.03-1.09; p=0.06; I²=0%), and overall postoperative complication rate (RR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.09-0.99; p=0.05, I²=75%). The rate of second procedure was significantly lower compared with DF (RR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.07-0.43; p=0.0002, I²=54%). CONCLUSIONS The dynamic fixation and static fixation methods are equal in clinical outcomes, with dynamic fixation needing fewer second interventions for DTSIs.

Purpose: To investigate anatomic variations of neurovascular structures in the ankle and the safety margin for arthroscopic portals., Methods: 11 left and 12 right ankles from 8 female and 15 male fresh cadavers of Chinese ethnicity aged 53 to 88 (mean, 68) years were used. The ankle was standardised in a plantigrade position, zero-degree inversion, and neutral rotation. Four ankle portals, namely anteromedial (AM), anterolateral (AL), posteromedial (PM) and posterolateral (PL), were identified using 23-gauge needles. Skin and subcutaneous fat were dissected from the underlying fascia to visualise neurovascular structures. Distances were measured from: (1) the AM portal to the saphenous vein and nerve and its branches, (2) the AL portal to branches of the superficial peroneal nerves, of which the lateral one was labelled as the intermediate dorsal cutaneous branch and the medial one as the medial dorsal cutaneous branch, (3) the PM portal to the posterior tibial neurovascular bundles, and (4) the PL portal to the sural nerve., Results: The distances from (1) the AM portal to branches of the great saphenous vein and nerve, and (2) the AL portal to the intermediate dorsal cutaneous branch of the superficial peroneal nerve were short and may be an anatomic hazard. Variations were significant among the cadavers in terms of distances of the portals to the neurovascular structures., Conclusion: In Chinese cadavers, variations of neurovascular structures are significant. Care must be taken to avoid inadvertent injury during ankle arthroscopy.