Ankle arthroscopy

Arthroscopic assessment of the ankle joint can be an important diagnostic aid for intra-articular pathologic conditions. The major portals of entry are anteromedial and anterolateral. In one patient with loose bodies of the ankle, the authors successfully localized the loose bodies and determined the status of the articular surface by arthroscopy. In a second patient with pain and a roentgenogram suggestive of an osteochondral fracture, arthroscopic evaluation determined that the articular surface was intact, and the patient was successfully treated non-surgically. Precise indications for arthroscopy of the ankle have not yet been determined, but its role will certainly be less extensive in the ankle than in the knee.