The anatomy in relation to injury of the lateral collateral ligaments of the ankle: a current concepts review.

Injuries to the lateral ligament complex of the ankle are common problems in acute care practice. We believe that a well-developed knowledge of the anatomy provides a foundation for understanding the basic mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and treatment, especially surgical treatment, of lateral collateral ankle ligament injury. To address this issue we performed this review with regard to the anatomy of the lateral collateral ankle ligaments.

Relationship between coracoacromial arch and rotator cuff analysed by a computer-assisted method.

BACKGROUND: In this paper we describe and assess the feasibility of a computer-assisted method which could be useful to investigate the mechanism of subacromial impingment of the shoulder. METHODS: The relationship between the infraspinatus and supraspinatus and the coracoacromial (CA) arch during passive elevation and abduction are described. The methodology is based on the use of a tracker for recording surfaces and passive movements and data elaboration using dedicated software. RESULTS: In four cadavers, we observed that the minimal distances between the rotator cuff insertions and CA arch were realized at 45 degrees abduction between the acromion and infraspinatus, at 50-90 degrees elevation between the acromion and supraspinatus and also at 45-70 degrees abduction between the CA ligament and supraspinatus. This study showed that the proposed method is able to provide repeatable kinematic data (ICC > or = 0.90), numerical anatomical data comparable with the literature and, moreover, individual measurements on the shoulder joint. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary results support the extension of the methodology to an in vivo protocol to be used during computer-assisted arthroscopic surgery.