Modified Broström Repair With and Without Augmentation Using Suture Tape for Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical and radiological outcome between the modified Broström repair with augmentation using suture tape (MBA) and the modified Broström repair (MB) for patients with chronic lateral ankle instability. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in Ningbo No. 6 Hospital. The study included 53 patients who underwent surgical treatment from March 2014 to July 2016 and were followed for 2 years. A total of 25 patients underwent modified Broström repair with augmentation using suture tape, and 28 patients were treated with modified Broström repair. Patients were evaluated using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Scale (AOFAS) hindfoot scale, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) score, range of motion (ROM), and the visual analogue scale (VAS). The talar tilt angle (TTA) and anterior talar translation (ATT) were used to evaluate the mechanical stability. All radiological outcomes were measured by two orthopaedic surgeons, with the measurements repeated 3 days later. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 26.6 ± 17.8 years in the MBA group and 28.1 ± 19.4 years in the MB group, and no statistical difference in preoperative data was found between two groups. There were significant differences before and after the operation within the groups. Both groups achieved satisfactory outcomes, and significant improvements (VAS, FAAM, AOFAS, TTA, and ATT) were observed between the 1‐year follow‐up and final follow‐up (P < 0.05). The MBA group showed significant improvement in the FAAM Sport (87.1 ± 5.4 vs 78.2 ± 12.0, P = 0.001) and total scores (93.1 ± 2.3 vs 90.5 ± 5.1, P = 0.027) at the final follow‐up compared with the MB group, and for the other outcomes, there were no significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The modified Broström repair with augmentation using suture tap for chronic lateral ankle instability achieves a better outcome; however, further research is necessary.