ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Dorsal calcaneocuboid ligament versus lateral ankle ligament repair: a case-control study

H Lohrer¹, T Nauck¹, S Arentz¹, T J Vogl²

¹ Institute of Sports Medicine, Otto-Fleck-Schneise 10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
² Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Correspondence to:
Dr H Lohrer
Institute of Sports Medicine, Otto-Fleck-Schneise 10, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; lohrer{at}sport.uni-frankfurt.de

Objective: Anatomic reconstruction is the treatment of choice for lateral ankle ligament instability. A similar technique has recently been described for stabilisation of a chronic unstable calcaneocuboid joint as an alternative to the previously proposed tenodesis and arthrodesis procedures.

Methods: Five consecutive young females experiencing recurrent giving way of six calcaneocuboid joints were treated operatively during a 4 year period using anatomic ligament repair reinforced by a periosteal flap. Results were compared to five patients who underwent anatomic lateral ankle ligament repair in a case-control design. Outcome was measured using the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score, physical examination, and stress radiographic and MRI (calcaneocuboid group) investigation. Functional neuromuscular performance was evaluated by isokinetic torque measurements, posturometry, single-leg drop jumps, and single-leg long jumps.

Results: Outcome scores at follow up (5–61 months after surgery) revealed excellent results for both groups. No relevant difference was found between the affected legs and the non-affected legs or between groups with respect to the outcome measures. MRI exhibited ligament-like structures at the repaired dorsal calcaneocuboid joints in five out of six joints.

Conclusions: Results of anatomic repair of unstable lateral ankle and isolated calcaneocuboid joint instability equally lead to excellent results.

Keywords: anatomic repair; calcaneocuboid joint instability; lateral ankle instability; periosteal flap augmentation; recurrent giving way

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lohrer, H., Nauck, T., Arentz, S., Scholl, J. (2008). Observer Reliability in Ankle and Calcaneocuboid Stress Radiography. Am J Sports Med 36: 1143-1149 [Abstract] [Full Text]