[Diagnosis of ligament injuries of the ankle joint using exposures under pressure]

Pressure exerted against the ankle joint during lateral exposures shows a typical form of subluxation of the talus in respect of the tibia if there has been rupture of the anterior fibulo-talar ligament. This displacement can be quantified by using the standard technique of Seiler and Holzrichter. Retrospective evaluation of exposures carried out with pressure in 206 patients with stretching or rupture of the ligaments of the ankle joint have shown that stretching can be diagnosed if the joint space reaches 7 mm, and a rupture can be diagnosed with a joint space of 11 mm. If there is a difference of more than 5 mm in the joint space of the two joints, a rupture is present. With these criteria, 85% of all ligament injuries can be correctly diagnosed. In the remaining 15%, early arthrography provides the necessary information.