[Chronic instability in the ankle area].

For ankle sprains, the initial radiological work-up must include weight-bearing AP and lateral stress views of the sprained and healthy ankle. Films are taken in auto-varus. Other explorations included arthroMRI, arthroscanner or MRI which can be indicated preoperatively to confirm suspected cartilage injury or an associated ligament tear. These techniques should be employed when pertinent information can be expected according to the clinical situation and the operator's experience. In the emergency setting, ultrasonography can provide a simple low-cost confirmation of joint hematoma which is more precise than x-rays with a positive predictive value of nearly 100%. The objective and subjective clinical outcome after surgical anatomic repair or ligamentoplasty are quite similar. The two principal differences relate to persistent subjective instability and post-operative surgical complications. Thus there are advantages and disadvantages for each option advantage for anatomical repair because of the low rate of surgical complications and advantage for ligament repairs which stabilize the subtalar joint with a low rate of residual instability.