Research progress in diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of deltoid ligament injury of ankle joint / 中华创伤杂志

As the main stabilizing structure of the medial ankle joint, deltoid ligament plays a role in counteracting excessive eversion of the hindfoot and external rotation of the talus during ankle movement so as to maintain the biomechanical stability of ankle joint. Although the incidence of deltoid ligament injury is low, improper diagnosis and treatment can affect the path of talus motion and eventually lead to chronic medial instability or traumatic arthritis of the ankle joint, seriously affecting the normal life and motor function of the patients. The diagnosis of deltoid ligament injury needs to be based on the characteristics of the injury, physical examination and imaging, among which X-ray, MRI and ultrasonography are most frequently used. There are various methods to treat deltoid ligament injury according to the type of injury, and thus the choice of treatment has been a hot topic in the field of foot and ankle surgery. The choice of non-surgical or surgical treatment for acute deltoid ligament injury remains controversial. For the treatment of chronic deltoid ligament injury, there is no consensus on direct repair or deltoid ligament reconstruction. In addition, the choice of autologous or allograft tendon or wire anchors for deltoid ligament reconstruction is also disputed. The rehabilitation of deltoid ligament injury is crucial to the early restoration of motor function of the ankle joint, but the related guidelines or consensus are scarce. In order to fully understand the characteristics of deltoid ligament injury, make accurate diagnosis and formulate reasonable treatment and rehabilitation programs, the authors review the research progress in deltoid ligament injury from aspects of anatomical characteristics, biomechanical mechanism of injury, diagnosis, treatment and postoperative functional rehabilitation, hoping to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of deltoid ligament injury.

The attachment sites and attachment areas of deltoid ligament related to clinical implications: a cadaveric study / Los sitios y las áreas de inserción del ligamento deltoideo relacionadas con las implicaciones clínicas: un estudio cadavérico

Currently, the treatment for patients with deltoid ligament injuries who require surgical treatment are anatomical repair and reconstruction. The clinicians should understand the exact knowledge of attachment areas of individual bands of deltoid ligament for a successful treatment. We studied 46 ankles of fresh frozen cadavers. The individual bands of deltoid ligament were divided to small fibers. Afterwards, each small fiber of each band was cut and marked with acrylic color on the origin and insertion followed by photo taking. Lastly, the photos of individual origin and insertion were used to calculate the attachment areas. We found six bands of deltoid ligament in all ankles except tibionavicular ligament. Moreover, we discovered deep to tibiocalcaneal and posterior to sustentaculum tali ligaments in 3 cases. Regarding the attachment area, the deep posterior tibiotalar ligament had the largest proximal and distal attachment areas which were 87.36±23.15 mm2 and 88.88±24.24 mm2, respectively. The anterior tibiotalar ligament had the least proximal and distal attachment areas which were 23.12±8.25 mm2 and 33.16±14.63 mm2, respectively. Hence, the accuracy and exact areas of attachment of deltoid ligament are important as it can help clinicians to select the suitable treatments including injury prevention.

Actualmente, el tratamiento para pacientes con lesiones del ligamento colateral medial de la articulación talocrural (ligamento deltoideo), que requieren tratamiento quirúrgico es la reparación y reconstrucción anatómica. Los médicos, para un tratamiento exitoso, deben conocer exactactamente las áreas de inserción de las partes de ligamento deltoideo. Estudiamos 46 tobillos de cadáveres congelados frescos. Las bandas individuales del ligamento deltoideo se dividieron en fibras pequeñas. Posteriormente, cada pequeña fibra de cada banda se cortó y marcó con color acrílico en el origen y la inserción, seguido de la toma de fotografías. Por último, las fotos de origen e inserción individuales se utilizaron para calcular las áreas. Encontramos seis bandas de ligamento deltoides en todos los tobillos, excepto el ligamento tibionavicular. Además, descubrimos en profundidad hasta los ligamentos tibiocalcaneaos y posteriores al sustentaculum tali en 3 casos. Con respecto al área de inserciónn, la parte tibiotalar posterior profundamente tenía las áreas de inserción proximal y distal más largas, que eran 87.36 ± 23.15 mm2 y 88.88 ± 24.24 mm2, respectivamente. La parte tibiotalar anterior del ligamento deltoideo tpresentaba áreas de unión menos proximales y distales 23.12 ± 8.25 mm2 y 33.16 ± 14.63 mm2, respectivamente. Por lo tanto, la precisión y las áreas exactas de inserción del ligamento deltoideo de la articulación talocrural son importantes, ya que pueden ayudar a los médicos a seleccionar los tratamientos adecuados, incluida la prevención de lesiones.

Effectiveness of repairing the deep layer of deltoid ligament by suture anchor repair method in treatment of mixed medial injury associated with ankle fractures / 中国修复重建外科杂志

Objective: To explore the necessity of repairing the deep layer of deltoid ligament in the treatment of mixed medial injury associated with ankle fractures. Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2018, 12 patients with mixed medial injury associated with ankle fractures were treated with the fixation of the lateral malleolus by bone plates, the fixation of the anterior colliculus of medial malleolus by cannulated screws, and the repair of the deltoid ligament by suture anchors. There were 8 males and 4 females, with an average age of 42 years (range, 18-56 years). According to the Lauge-Hansen classification criteria, there were 11 cases of supination-external rotation type and 1 case of pronation-external rotation type. According to the Weber classification criteria, all cases were type B. The time from injury to operation was 3-6 days, with an average of 4.7 days. In each patient, X-ray films of anteroposterior and lateral views and mortise view of ankle were taken postoperatively. The motion range of ankle joints was observed. The function of the ankle and the outcome of the treatment were evaluated according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scoring system, Olerud-Molander scoring system, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. Results: All cases were followed up 12-42 months (mean, 28 months). The 12 patients returned to their pre-injury jobs. Five patients with sports injury completely recovered to their pre-injury motor function. No patient experienced persistent medial ankle pain or ankle instability. At last follow-up, the ankle range of motion in dorsiflexion was 9°-25° (mean, 17.96°), which was 0°-11° (mean, 4.02°) less than that in normal side; the range of motion in plantar flexion was 38°-50° (mean, 43.90°), which was 0°-7° (mean, 2.53°) less than that in normal side. The AOFAS score was 88-100 (mean, 96.7); the Olerud-Molander score was 90-100 (mean, 96.5); the VAS score was 0-3 (mean, 1.1). Conclusion: It is necessary to repair the deep layer of deltoid ligament in the mixed medial injuries associated with ankle fracture, which include anterior colliculus fracture and deep deltoid ligament injury. A better outcome can be achieved by employing the suture anchor repair method.

Surgical treatment of ankle fracture with or without deltoid ligament repair:a comparative study / 中华创伤骨科杂志

Objective To compare the outcomes of surgical treatment of ankle fracture with or without repair of deltoid ligament(DL) rupture.Methods Between March 2009 and December 2015,75 patients were treated surgically at Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery,Honghui Hospital for ankle fracture with DL rupture.Of them,the DL rupture was repaired in 20(repair group) and not in 54(non-repair group).The 2 groups were compared in terms of pre- and post-operative medial clear space(MCS),rate of radiological MCS malreduction(MCS>5mm),rate of surgical failure,the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society(AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score and visual analogue scale(VAS).The outcomes of AO/OTA types B and C were also compared between the 2 groups.Results The 2 groups were compatible due to insignificant differences in their preoperative general data and follow-up time(46.9±22.5 months versus 56.3±23.9 months)(P>0.05).The MCSs after operation(3.3±0.3 mm) and at the last follow-up(3.2±0.3mm) in the repair group were significantly shorter than those in the non-repair group(3.8±1.0mm and 3.8±1.2mm)(P<0.05).The rate of radiological MCS malreduction in the repair group(0) was significantly lower than that in the non-repair group(20.4%)(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the 2 group in rate of surgical failure(0 versus 7.4%),AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score(88.0±5.8 versus 85.9±8.7) or VAS(1.2±0.8 versus 1.6±1.6)(P>0.05).The rate of radiological MCS malreduction for AO/OTA type C ankle fracture in the non-repair group was significantly higher than those for AO/OTA types B and C in the repair group and AO/OTA type B in the non-repair group(P<0.05).Conclusion Surgical repair of the DL rupture may help decrease the rate of postoperative MCS malreduction,especially for AO/OTA type C ankle fractures.

Early and mid-term results of transarticular external fixation in the treatment of supination-external rotation type IV equivalent ankle fractures / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>PURPOSE</b>To investigate the early and mid-term results of open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) with transarticular external fixation (TEF) but no deltoid ligament repair (DLR) in the treatment of supination-external rotation type IV equivalent (SER IV E) ankle fractures (AO/OTA classification 44-B 3.1) and provide evidence for clinical practice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study cohort consisted of 22 patients with SER IV E ankle fractures that underwent ORIF with TEF but no DLR between December 2011 and December 2014. There were 13 males and 9 females, mean age 38.9 years (range, 17-73 years). Eight cases involved the left side and 14 the right side. The causes of fractures included road traffic accidents (11 cases), falling from height (6 cases) and sports injuries (5 cases). The mean period of hospitalization was 9.8 days (range, 6-14 days). For all the patients, MRI and three-dimensional CT were done before surgery and X-rays done preoperatively and during follow-ups. The external frame was kept for 8-10 weeks. The preoperative American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score was 56.86 ± 4.400, the Medical Outcomes Short Form 36-item (SF-36) questionnaire score was 57.41 ± 4.102 and the visual analog score (VAS) was 5.50 ± 1.058. Patients' main complaints about inconvenience of daily life were also recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the 22 patients were followed up for 24-63 months (mean, 33.6 months). None of them developed nonunion during the follow-up; pin site infection was observed in one patient and posttraumatic osteoarthritis in another. At the final follow-up, the average AOFAS score, SF-36 score and VAS score were respectively 90.59 ± 5.096, 79.59 ± 5.394 and 1.82 ± 1.181, which were significantly improved compared with the preoperative data (t = 26.221, p < 0.001; t = 11.910, p < 0.001; t = 11.571, p < 0.001). The therapeutic effect was excellent in 13 cases, good in 7 cases and fair in 2 cases, with a good-excellent rate of 90.9%. Patients' main complaints were inconvenience of clothing (17 cases) and extremity cleaning (5 cases).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In the treatment of SER IV E ankle fractures, ORIF with TEF but no DLR can achieve satisfactory outcome, but long-term effect should be confirmed by large sample randomized controlled trials.</p>

Medial malleolar fracture associated with deltoid ligament rupture following ankle pronation injury / 영남의대학술지

Concurrent injury of medial malleolus and deltoid ligament is difficult to occur considering the injury mechanism. When the concurrent injury comes about, the deltoid ligament injury could be missed and it may lead to medial ankle instability. There are few reported cases of the concurrent injury and domestic case of concurrent failure of both structures over the medial side has been reported just once; however, the injury mechanism is different from this case. The authors report a case of medial malleolus fracture with deltoid ligament rupture following pronation injury with a review of necessity of repairing deltoid ligament for ankle stability.

Medial malleolar fracture associated with deltoid ligament rupture following ankle pronation injury / 영남의대학술지

Concurrent injury of medial malleolus and deltoid ligament is difficult to occur considering the injury mechanism. When the concurrent injury comes about, the deltoid ligament injury could be missed and it may lead to medial ankle instability. There are few reported cases of the concurrent injury and domestic case of concurrent failure of both structures over the medial side has been reported just once; however, the injury mechanism is different from this case. The authors report a case of medial malleolus fracture with deltoid ligament rupture following pronation injury with a review of necessity of repairing deltoid ligament for ankle stability.

Deltoid Ligament and Tibiofibular Syndesmosis Injury in Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Evaluation at 3T and Comparison with Arthroscopy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of deltoid ligament and distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury on 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty patients (mean age, 35 years) who had undergone preoperative 3T MRI and surgical treatment for CLAI were enrolled. The prevalence of deltoid ligament and syndesmosis injury were assessed. The complexity of lateral collateral ligament complex (LCLC) injury was correlated with prevalence of deltoid or syndesmosis injuries. The diagnostic accuracy of ankle ligament imaging at 3T MRI was analyzed using arthroscopy as a reference standard. RESULTS: On MRI, deltoid ligament injury was identified in 18 (36%) patients as follows: superficial ligament alone, 9 (50%); deep ligament alone 2 (11%); and both ligaments 7 (39%). Syndesmosis abnormality was found in 21 (42%) patients as follows: anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) alone, 19 (90%); and AITFL and interosseous ligament, 2 (10%). There was no correlation between LCLC injury complexity and the prevalence of an accompanying deltoid or syndesmosis injury on both MRI and arthroscopic findings. MRI sensitivity and specificity for detection of deltoid ligament injury were 84% and 93.5%, and those for detection of syndesmosis injury were 91% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Deltoid ligament or syndesmosis injuries were common in patients undergoing surgery for CLAI, regardless of the LCLC injury complexity. 3T MRI is helpful for the detection of all types of ankle ligament injury. Therefore, careful interpretation of pre-operative MRI is essential.

Treatment of Lateral Malleolar Fracture Associated with Disruption of the Deltoid Ligament / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: To evaluate the necessity for repair of associated deltoid ligament rupture in lateral malleolar fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty of twenty-five patients were evaluated. Each received surgical treatment without repair of the ruptured deltoid ligament. We found that the medial clear space was widened more than 5 mm in intraoperative stress tests which had been done between May 2003 and June 2008. We did follow-up on these patients for more than 1 year after surgery. At the final follow-up, radiologic and clinical assessment were evaluated on plain X-ray and according to Olerud Molander ankle scores. RESULTS: Open reduction and internal fixation of the lateral malleolar was done in all cases and an additional transfixation screw was needed in 17 patients who had concurrent syndesmotic disruption. Average medial clear space widening before surgery was 9.28 mm (7.0-17.14 mm), at final follow-up time it was 3.43 mm (2.9-5.28 mm). And there were 8 (40%) good, 10 (50%) fair and 2 (10%) poor ratings on radiologic evaluation, but the mean clinical score was 93.75, with 17 (85%) being excellent, 2 (10%) good and 1 (5%) fair on clinical evaluation. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of lateral malleolus fracture associated with disruption of the deltoid ligament, satisfactory clinical results could be obtained including lateral joint stability, with accurate anatomical reduction and internal fixation of the lateral malleolus and distal tibio-fibular joints. Medial joint stability could be obtained without deltoid ligament repair.

Operative treatment of the damage of the deltoid ligament of the ankle / 中国矫形外科杂志

[Objective]To explore the operative methods and curative effect of the damage of the deltoid ligament.[Method]From April 2002 to April 2005,all 40 cases with ankle fractures were treated by open reduction and firm internal fixtion,by repairing of the deltoid ligament and restoration of stability of medial and lateral structures of ankle joint.If separation of the tibio-fibular joint was still unstable,transverse internal fixtion was adopted with one cortical bone screw.[Result]All cases were followed up from 6 months to 3 years with an average of 18 months,and were evaluated according to the criteria of QI Bin:the results showed excellent in 30 cases,fair in 8 cases and poor in 2 cases,the rate of excellent results was 75%.[Conclusion]The authers emphasized that,in order to obtain satisfactory result,open anatomical reduction and rigid internal fixtion must be adopted in the fractures,the deltoid ligament should be treated properly.

The Necessity of Deltoid Ligament Repair in Lateral Malleolar Fracture Combined with Medial Clear Space Widening

PURPOSE: To evaluate the necessity of deltoid ligament repair in lateral malleolar fracture associated with medial clear space widening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 82 cases of 82 patients received surgical treatment for lateral malleolar fracture with medial clear space widening in our hospital from Jan. 1996 to Feb. 2002. 73 male and 9 female patients were included respectively. Average follow-up period was 13.2 month (12~50). The methods of internal fixation of lateral malleolar fracture were 66 cases by cortical screw, 16 by plate and screws, and 9 by transfixing screw. RESULTS: Satisfactory reduction was obtained in 65 of 73 cases by only internal fixation of lateral malleolar fracture. Transfixing screw was needed in 8 cases. There was no need for repair of deltoid ligament. In clinical evaluation, no cases of limitation of movement in ankle was seen at final follow-up time. In radiologic evaluation, average medial clear space widening before operation was 5.89 mm (4.5~13 mm) and that of last follow-up time was 2.54 mm (1.5~3.5 mm). 95.2% was above good result. CONCLUSION: In treatment of unstable lateral malleolar fracture associated with medial clear space widening due to rupture of deltoid ligament, we obtained satisfactory result by accurate anatomical reduction or internal fixation. In these cases, there were no need for repair of deltoid ligament.

Treatment of the Deltoid Ligament Injury in Ankle Fractures Combined with Distal Tibiofibular Diastasis: retrospective study / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: The authors have analysed clinical and radiographic results in 39 cases of the ankle fractures combined with distal tibiofibular diastasis to evaluate the need for surgical repair of the ruptured deltoid ligament. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All of the cases were treated with open reduction and rigid internal fixation for fracture of the distal fibula and trans-syndesmotic screw fixation for the distal tibiofibular diastasis, but ruptured deltoid ligament were treated with surgical or non-surgical methods. The patients were divided into two groups retrospectively. Group I included 24 ankle fractures that were treated with surgical repair for the ruptured deltoid ligament. Group II included 15 patients who were treated conservatively for the ruptured deltoid ligament. RESULTS: The clinical results were excellent in 16 (66.6%), good in 5 (20.8%) in group I, and excellent in 10 (66.6%) and good in 3 (20%) in group II. The radiographic results in reduction of medial joint space were good in 20 (83.3%), fair in 2 (8.3%) in group I, and good in 12 (80%) and fair in 2 (13.3%) in group II at last follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The ruptured deltoid ligament can be treated conservatively if the lateral malleolar fracture and the distal tibiofibular diastasis are stabilized anatomically and the medial joint space is reduced satisfactorily.

A Clinical Study of Disruption of the Deltoid Ligament Associated with Fractures of Distal Fibula / 대한정형외과학회잡지

It is been known that the deltoid ligament of the ankle joint plays an important role in the stabiliy of the ankle joint. In cases of deltoid ligament rupture, associated with lateral malleolar fractures, cannot be maintained the integrity of the mortise and the stability of the talus. Controversy remains about the treatment of deltoid ligament injuries. Many authors advocate an operative repair for deltoid ligament ruptures for optimal reduction of lateral malleolar fracture. However, according to recent cadaveric studies and many satisfactory results of clinical studies, excellent results have been reported regarding the ankle joint stability by anatomical reduction of the lateral structure, but only without surgical repair of the medial structure. Fourteen patients with lateral malleolar fractures with associated deltoid ligament injuries treated at Sun General Hospital between January 1990 and June 1995. There were examined clinically and radiologically. We concluded that deltoid ligament repairs should be considered unnecessary as long as fibular fracture are stabilized anatomically with normal medial joint space. However, in cases with higher fracture levels of lateral malleolus, associated with syndesmotic injury, we recommend syndesmotic screw fixation or deltoid ligament repair.

Reconstruction of Medial Malleolus and Deltoid Ligament using Bone / 대한정형외과학회잡지

We present a case of medial malleolus and deltoid ligament loss with extensive overlying soft tissue defect from crushing injury. The resultant gross medial ankle instability necessitated deltoid ligament reconstruction using a bone-patellar tendon graft.

A Clinical Study of the Treatment of Ruptures of Deltoid Ligament Associated with Fracture of Distal Part of Fibula / 대한정형외과학회잡지

A survey of the literature on the treatment of ruptures of deltoid ligament associated with fracture of distal part of fibula is controversial. Some authors advocated surgical repair of the ruptured deltoid ligament based on the theoretical consideration, while others advocated non-operative treatment based on the clinical consideration. We studied the results in forty-five patients who were treated for disruption of the deltoid ligament and a distal fibular fracture. The length of follow-up in our series was twelve to twenty-four months, with an average of fifteen months. When the fibular fracture was adequately reduced and medial clear space was returned to its normal width, the 91 percents both of patients of being treated with repair of deltoid ligament and patients of being treated without repair had a good or excellent results.