[Experience with suturing the outer ligament of the upper ankle joint under local anesthesia]

An efficient approach to the treatment of fibular ligamentous rupture is to approximate the torn edges of the ligament. Conservative management with immobilization by fixed dressings or orthopaedic footwear to maintain the foot in pronation may allow ligamentous union to occur; however, the results are relatively often unsuccessful, and delayed surgical correction is difficult and unreliable. Operative repair of the ruptured ligament is successful in the vast majority of cases, and is generally recognized as a better therapeutic approach, but it may be criticized on the grounds of the high cost of treatment, especially if general anaesthesia is used. The use of local anaesthesia offers a good compromise, as it is considerably less expensive and allows the advantages of surgical repair to be exploited.