Diagnosis and Comorbidity of Chronic Ankle Instability / 대한족부족관절학회지

Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries sustained during athletic activities and daily life. Acute ankle sprain is usually managed conservatively with functional rehabilitation but the failure of conservative treatment leads to the development of chronic ankle instability. The development of repetitive ankle sprains and persistent symptoms after injury has been termed chronic ankle instability. Acute ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability require a careful evaluation to detect other comorbidities, such as subtalar instability, osteochondral defect, peroneal tendinopathy, tarsal coalition, os trigonum, flexor hallucis longus tendinitis, calcaneus anterior process fracture, and neural injuries. For the successful treatment of acute ankle sprains and chronic ankle instability, the treatment of comorbidity lesions should be performed first.

Characteristics of Achilles Tendon Insertion on Posterior Aspect of the Calcaneus without Pathological Deformity in Adults: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study / 대한족부족관절학회지

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the safety zone for Achilles tendon insertion in the posterior aspect of the calcaneus via the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when planning for insertional Achilles tendinopathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 95 patients. The MRI of midsagittal plane of the ankle joint was used to measure the proximal and distal insertion point for the Achilles tendon in the posterior aspect of the calcaneus. Patients were divided into three groups according to the proportion of the distal insertion point out of the entire calcaneal length: the proximal, middle, and distal insertion groups. RESULTS: The mean proximal and distal insertion points for the Achilles tendon were measured as 1.05 cm (0~2.11 cm) and 2.36 cm (1.60~2.93 cm), respectively. When the posterior aspect of the calcaneus was used as the reference plane, none of the patients was in the proximal insertion group, while 75 and 20 patients were in the middle and distal insertion groups, respectively. The insertion portion was longer in the distal insertion group (1.47±0.25 cm) than in the middle insertion group (1.27±0.35 cm). Statistically significant differences with respect to the length of the insertion portion were observed between the two groups (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Removal of more than 1 cm below the superior margin of the posterior calcaneus may be dangerous. An MRI study on the Achilles tendon of patients without hindfoot deformity or tendinopathy revealed various insertional characteristics. Preoperative MRI evaluation is safer than relying solely on the simple radiological assessment when planning for insertional Achilles tendinopathy.

Risk Factors of Syme Amputation in Patients with a Diabetic Foot / 대한족부족관절학회지

PURPOSE: This study examined the factors affecting the treatment of diabetes mellitus foot patients who had undergone a Syme amputation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 17 patients diagnosed with a diabetes mellitus foot and who had undergone a Syme amputation from January 2010 to January 2014. Some of the risk factors (age, body mass index [BMI], disease duration, smoking, ankle brachial index [ABI], HbA1c, serum albumin, total lymphocyte, C-reactive protein [CRP], and serum creatine) that affect the successful Syme amputation were analyzed. RESULTS: The healing rate of a Syme amputation was significantly higher when the lymphocyte count was above 1,500 mm3 (p=0.029). The factors affecting the surgical outcome according to multivariate analysis were HbA1c and the BMI (p=0.014, p=0.013). Regarding reamputation, there was a significant difference with HbA1c, lymphocyte, and BMI (p=0.01, p=0.03, and p=0.01). No significant differences were observed with age, disease duration of diabetes mellitus, smoking, ABI, serum albumin, CRP, and serum creatine. CONCLUSION: The HbA1c level, BMI and total lymphocyte count are risk factors that must be considered for successful Syme amputation in patients with diabetic foot disease.

Nontuberculous Mycobacterium Arthritis and Spondylitis in a Patient with Lupus

Approximately 90% of nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) infections involve the pulmonary system; NTM infections involving areas of the musculoskeletal system such as the joints or spine are uncommon. This report describes a case of refractory knee swelling in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Indolent arthritis of the knee eventually progressed to spondylitis and a paraspinal abscess requiring surgical incision and drainage. The cause of the infectious arthritis and spondylitis was diagnosed as NTM infection, specifically Mycobacterium kansasii. This case emphasizes the importance of a high index of clinical suspicion for mycobacterial infection, as well as repeated attempts to isolate the organism, in patients with SLE who present with atypical chronic arthritis.