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Semin Musculoskelet Radiol 2025; 29(03): 366-376
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1805077
Review Article

Imaging Findings in Acute Ankle Sprain and Syndesmosis Injury

Henry de Boer 
1   Department of Musculoskeletal Centre X-Ray, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
,
Philip Robinson
1   Department of Musculoskeletal Centre X-Ray, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom
2   NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, United Kingdom
› Institutsangaben
Funding Disclosure Philip Robinson is supported in part by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Leeds Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) (NIHR203331). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care.
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Abstract

Acute ankle sprain including distal tibiofibular syndesmosis injury is the most common lower limb sports injury. In the athletic population, imaging with magnetic resonance imaging plays an important role in the grading of acute ankle sprain but crucially also in the detection of associated injuries, such as bone contusion, osteochondral lesions, fracture, and tendon injury. Accurate diagnosis in the acute phase of injury facilitates surgical decision making, appropriate rehabilitation, and prediction of return-to-play time. This review article examines the medial ligament complex, the lateral ligament complex, and the syndesmosis in detail. It summarizes the normal ligamentous anatomy, mechanisms of injury, and provides imaging examples to illustrate the spectrum of findings in acute ankle sprains.

Keywords

ankle - ligament - sprain - injury - syndesmosis

Supplementary Material



Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
20. Mai 2025

© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

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