Links | About | Simon Moyes | Contact
- Surgeons site
- Treatment
- Historical Development
- Advantages and Contraindication
- Anatomy
- Instrumentation
- Theatre Layout
- Diagnostic Ankle Arthroscopy
Quick Search
Treatment
Arthrofibrosis
Arthrofibrosis post fracture or sprain can occur and is satisfactorily treated by arthroscopic resection of the fibrous bands and early physiotherapy. This was nicely demonstrated by Lui T H et al in 2006 (35)
Impingement lesions
Lateral ligament injuries are very common, with 1 ankle sprain per 10,000 occurring per day (8). Some 10-50% have some chronic pain (9,10,11).
Infections
Bacterial and fungal infections occur and are best treated with arthroscopic aspiration and synovial biopsy followed by washout and irrigation, then appropriate antibiotic therapy (33).
Inflammatory lesions
Rheumatoid arthritis, X-tal synovitis, PVNS and synovial chondromatosis can all affect the ankle.
Chondral lesions
Chondral lesions are usually caused by a sprain or by an RTA with direct compression of the articular cartilage. The pathologies range from blistering to full thickness flap tears.
Degenerative disease
Primary and secondary osteoarthritis can be treated arthroscopically.
Loose bodies and osteophytes
Arthroscopic ankle surgery is successful in other pathologies apart from impingement and OLT.
Osteochondral lesions of the talus - OLT
Osteochondral lesions of the talus as such were first described in 1856 Monro (36) but Konnig (37) coined the term ‘osteochondritis’ when he found similar pathology elsewhere in the body and thought the aetiology was osteonecrosis. Kappis (38) in 1922 first applied the term osteochondritis to the ankle joint.
Ankle arthrodesis
An ankle arthrodesis, if successful, allows patients to return to work and some sports with a virtually normal gait.
Ankle fractures
There have been numerous recent publications regarding the role of ankle arthroscopy in the diagnosis and treatment of combined intra-articular fractures of the ankle.
Lateral ligament instability
Lateral ligament injury of the ankle is very common (90) with 1 in 10,000 sustaining the injury per day it is the commonest ligament injury seen by surgeons.