Arthroscopic treatment of anterolateral impingement of the ankle.

Anterolateral ankle impingement is due to entrapment of pathological tissues in the anterolateral aspect of the joint. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of arthroscopic diagnosis and treatment of anterolateral ankle impingement. Twenty patients with anterolateral ankle impingement who had arthroscopic debridement were included in this prospective study, including 16 men and 4 women with a mean age of 35.8 years. Synovial hypertrophy was found in 13 patients, impinging distal fascicle of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament in 2 patients, torn anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament in 3 patients, and fibrofatty scar tissue in 2 patients. Seven patients had associated talar cartilage damage. Four patients had additional inversion injuries after the arthroscopic procedures. Final results were excellent in 11 patients, good in 6 patients, fair in 2 patients, and poor in 1 patient. One of the 7 patients with cartilage damage had excellent results, 5 patients had good results, and the remaining patient had fair results. Two of the 3 patients with complete tear of the anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament had fair results, and the other had a poor result. One of the 4 patients with additional inversion injuries had good results, 2 had fair results, and 1 had a poor result. In conclusion, ankle arthroscopy is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of anterolateral ankle impingement. Factors that negatively affect final outcome are associated chondral lesions of the talus, associated syndesmotic lesions, and new inversion injuries after the arthroscopic procedure.