Midterm results of a modified evans repair for chronic lateral ankle instability.

Abstract

Twenty-eight ankles in 27 patients with chronic instability were treated with a modification of the Evans procedure during a 10-year period. The diagnosis was assessed by clinical evaluation and radiographic stress tests. The reconstruction procedure consists of using the peroneal brevis tendon to repair ankle instability and restore the loss of anatomic integrity of the injured structures. Twenty-five patients (26 ankles) were available at a mean followup of 99.6 months or 8.3 years (range, 28-117 months). Midterm results were evaluated using the ankle-hindfoot score of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, and postoperative radiographic stress tests. According to this scoring system, the current reconstruction procedure resulted in 92.64 points (range, 63-100 points). However, moderate restriction in hindfoot inversion was seen in nine patients (34.61%). Three ankles (11.5%) had a positive anterior drawer sign (> 8 mm). In five ankles (19.2%), there were mild degenerative joint changes. Therefore, the current reconstruction method led to a satisfactory clinical and functional midterm outcome shown by a numeric scale.