Intermittent dislocation of the flexor hallucis longus tendon.

Abstract

Dislocation of the flexor hallucis longus tendon is an exceptional occurrence. To our knowledge, this is the first case ever reported of an intermittent dislocation in a 17-year-old woman; she was a synchronised swimmer. She consulted for a right internal retro-malleolar syndrome. Voluntary "snap" was triggered by a mechanism which combined maximal ankle dorsiflexion and interphalangeal plantar flexion of the toes. Non-enhanced dynamic helical CT and axial MRI were performed, which revealed the dislocation of the right flexor hallucis longus tendon outside the posterior intertubercular talar groove. Static and dynamic imaging would appear to be required to make this uncommon diagnosis.