ArticleJournal of experimental orthopaedics2019
Reliability of ultrasonography measurement of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) length in healthy subjects (in vivo), based on examiner experience and patient positioning.
Article in Journal of experimental orthopaedics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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16 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quantitative dynamic evaluation of the talus-lateral malleolus distance during forward single-leg drop landing in individuals with chronic ankle instability: a cross-sectional study.Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a novel approach for quantifying dimensions of the lateral ligaments in human ankle dissections.Journal of anatomy · 2026Article
- Sex differences in the dynamics of the distance between the talus and lateral malleolus during the stance phase of gait.Journal of medical ultrasonics (2001) · 2026Article
- Using deep learning for ultrasound images to diagnose chronic lateral ankle instability with high accuracy.Asia-Pacific journal of sports medicine, arthroscopy, rehabilitation and technology · 2025Article
- Role of Ultrasound in Evaluating Ligament Injuries Around the Ankle: A Narrative Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Article
- Diagnostic strategies for chronic lateral ankle instability: a narrative review.Annals of joint · 2024Review
- Diagnostic Evaluation of Mechanical Ankle Instability by Comparing Injured and Uninjured Contralateral Ankles Using Arthrometry.Journal of athletic training · 2023Article
- Anatomical study of the bone morphology of the anterior talofibular ligament attachment.Anatomy & cell biology · 2023Article
- [Ligamentous injuries of the ankle joint : Importance of radiological imaging procedures].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Article
- [Ligamentous injuries of the ankle joint : Importance of radiological imaging procedures].Radiologie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Article
- Ultrasound or MRI in the Evaluation of Anterior Talofibular Ligament (ATFL) Injuries: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Morphometric relationships between dimensions the anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament in routine magnetic resonance imaging.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2021Article
- Lateral Ankle Sprains and Their Association with Physical Function in Young Soccer Players.Open access journal of sports medicine · 2021Article
- The double fascicular variations of the anterior talofibular ligament and the calcaneofibular ligament correlate with interconnections between lateral ankle structures revealed on magnetic resonance imaging.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Diagnosis of avulsion fractures of the distal fibula after lateral ankle sprain in children: a diagnostic accuracy study comparing ultrasonography with radiography.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2020Article
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5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe most common cause of ankle injury is the supination trauma, inflicting a partial or complete rupture of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL). Among conventional diagnostic tools and procedures of sports injuries, the method of stress-ultrasonography is reportedly a promising diagnostic tool for examining injuries of the lateral ligaments of the ankle. Preceding studies predominantly examined the comparability of stress-ultrasonography and other established diagnostic tools in terms of efficacy, viability and quality. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of stress-ultrasonography of the ATFL based on varying examiner experience and patient positioning.
methodSixteen healthy subjects were examined by four examiners with differing levels of skill and experience in ultrasonography, ranging from laymen to specialist. Measurements were recorded and interrater correlation coefficient (ICC) was applied in four positions, including a neutral position (A), medial rotation (B), plantar flexion (C) and inversion of the foot (D).
resultsThe length of the ATFL was 14.958 ± 2.145 mm in position A, 15.886 ± 1.994 mm in position B, 16.270 ± 1.858 mm in position C and 15.170 ± 1.781 mm in position D. The average length change was 0.928 ± 0.804 mm (6.656 ± 6.299%) in position B, 1.313 ± 1.266 mm (9.746 ± 9.484%) in position C and 0.213 ± 1.807 mm (2.604 ± 12.308%) in position D. The correlation of the combined results of all four investigators was 0.333 for position A, 0.386 for position B, 0.320 for position C and 0.517 for position D. The highest ICC (0.811) was recorded between the orthopedic specialist and the radiology specialist. The lowest ICC (0.299) was recorded between the laymen and the radiology specialist.
conclusionThe reliability of the ATFL examination seems to be exceedingly dependent on the examiner's experience and skill in ultrasonographic (US) diagnostic. Moreover, the inversion positioning of the foot, described by the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) yielded the highest measurement reliability.
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