[The childhood ankle joint. Deformities, abnormalities and clinical variations]

The ankle joint unites high functionality with high load on a small surface. Congenital as well as acquired variations lead to a derangement of the complex concerted action of tendons, ligaments and joints. This causes dysfunction and the development of typical deformities. It is necessary to discriminate physiological variants, congenital, posttraumatic and tumoral variations for the differential diagnosis. In most instances this is only possible with the aid of radiological clarification. Congenital malformations in the region of the upper and lower ankle joint are generally rare. One disease is club foot, with malposition and deformity in the upper and lower ankle joint. Extreme malposition can also be found in talus verticalis and congenital hypoplasias and aplasias of fibula and tibia. A rather frequently found disease, which first occurs in the adolescence, is osteochondrosis dissecans.