Arthrography, clinical examination, and stress radiograph in the diagnosis of acute injury to the lateral ligaments of the ankle

Abstract

We examined 188 consecutive patients, each of whom had an acute ankle sprain, using clinical stability as sessment, stress radiographs, and arthrography to compare the reliability of these methods used in diag nosing lateral ligament ruptures of the ankle. Sixty-six of the ankles were treated operatively. Arthrography accurately detected ligament damage in all of the pa tients with this injury and revealed the extent of the injury in about 85%, whereas clinical examination and stress radiographs detected only about half of the injuries. The injuries and the results of these two meth ods were often controversial, as our study will show.